The current euphoria over the banning of petrol and diesel vehicles and the claimed financial savings on running cost is overlooking one very important fact.

Government revenues. Fuel duty and the VAT added to that duty plus Vehicle Excise Duty.

Currently the government receive £28 billion in fuel duty to which is added £5.7 billion VAT charged on the fuel duty (a double tax). Another £6.5 billion is received from Vehicle Excise Duty.

To date none of these taxes have been applied to electric vehicles and by pursuing the policy of banning all diesel and petrol driven vehicles the government are, therefore, facing a black hole of £40.2 billion.

How will electric vehicles be taxed in future?

• Currently exempt they must eventually be charged Vehicle Excise Duty but this would be difficult to apply retrospectively and by that time many thousands will be enjoying a zero rate.

• A tax on charging? Very hard to apply as most will charge at home and any domestic tax increase will burden other appliances and those without a car.

• A tax on usage? How can this be measured? Perhaps a tracking device linked to a central government computer.

The ‘big brother is watching you’ syndrome.

There is the myth that running an electric car is cheaper than a diesel car but if you strip away the tax applied to diesel fuel and the Vehicle Excise Duty that becomes hard to prove.

Although there is general agreement that emissions must be reduced tackling private transport will come at a cost which at present is being kept well in the background.

Perhaps more focus should be directed at the air travel industry which in the UK alone will rise to 470 million passenger flights in 2030. Just one flight from the UK to NY emits 1.2 tonnes of CO2.

Flights are so cheap and are out of control leading to an upward spiral of polluting air travel.

Perhaps some focus should also be directed at the ever growing lust for ocean cruising.

Cruise ships create pollution problems as supersized as themselves. Every single day, cruise ships worldwide emit the same particular matter as a million cars.

A single large cruise ship will emit over five tonnes of NOX emissions, and 450kg of ultrafine particles a day. To give you an idea, it emits about the same amount of sulfur dioxide as 3.6 MILLION cars.

It seems people, in ever increasing numbers, are determined to travel and not necessarily by car.

PETER TARRANT

Upwey