The founder of a public charging network for electric vehicles wants petrol and diesel fuel duties increased.
Asif Ghafoor, a veteran of infrastructure delivery and the co-founder and CEO of national charging network Be.EV said the increase would encourage the switch to electric vehicles while covering the shortfall in public finance which has happened since more evs have been purchased.
The fuel duty increases would also level up with the 20% VAT paid by motorists using public charge points such as his company operates compared with the 5% levied on home charging points.
“As the 2030 ban on all new ICE vehicle sales comes closer, the government needs to look at how fuel tax will be replaced by road duty and VAT,” he said in a press statement.
“We should be increasing taxes on petrol and diesel vehicles, while uptake of cleaner fuels for transportation can be encouraged through exemptions in Clean Air Zones and combustion engine scrappage schemes.
“In decarbonising transport, we are facing a thoroughly novel challenge that demands bold, innovative thinking. We must incentivise more drivers to make the transition to EVs – they are cleaner and smarter than combustion engine vehicles and are undeniably the future of the transport industry.”
The Treasury has indicated it will implement a road tax for EVs which are currently exempt from the annual charge from 1 April 2025 but has so far not indicated how it will cover the loss of fuel duty, possibly operating a charge through chargepoints at top ups or through data analysis of home Smart Charger points, as all new home chargers have to be connected to smart meters to permit this analysis.
