At the top of this page is a new poll entitled, 'Should Isle of Wight Road Tax Stay On The Island'
It has been reported today that the Island is to get £364m for use to tart up our road network for the next 25 years.
Is this going to be enough?
No, I don't suppose it will be. But if the road tax we pay also went into the pot then we'd stand a chance of having a half decent road network.
Why should we be paying for the upkeep of mainland roads, that the majority of us seldom use, when our own are no better than the dirt tracks they were 100 years ago?
According to the 2001 Census information, that is to be found on the Council's site, there were 63,874 cars and vans here on the Island. This doesn't include fleet vehicles like Southern Vectis buses or lorries. It can be presumed as we get nearer to the next Census that this figure has increased, as of course has, the cost of the road fund licence. If we use the above 2001 figure and say the average road tax paid is £160 a year, this produces £10,219,840 that us Islanders don't benefit from because it all goes to the Government's central pot.
It is because of this that the Council have to charge us again to park on roads the road fund licence is supposed to cover, to claw back the shortfall left by the Government's budget.
I ask you, is this fair?
