Motorists pay enough through
Taxes
Sir - I feel at this stage I am being totally taken
advantage of by the National Roads' Authority and am
helpless to do anything about it. I live in Navan and
commute to Dublin south every day for work. I am on the
average wage with three children and a mortgage, the same
as most people. At the moment going to work involves high
VRT, high insurance, high petrol costs, road tax and an
M50 toll-bridge cost of €780 a year. This is almost
twice the road tax I pay for a minute fraction of the
road. I know that you are probably saying "why not use an
alternative route?" Well, quite simply, any alternative
route takes longer ie. late for work, and also results in
a higher petrol bill leaving me at square one again.
But my main issue at the moment is the new M3 motorway
which I hear now will also be tolled. If this is the case
I will no longer be able to afford to work, as stupid as
that might sound. My annual toll bill will be just under
€2000! (M50 €1.80, M3 €1.80 twice daily).
As my job does not involve travelling I cannot claim the
money from my taxes.
I know that the NRA says it always leaves an untolled
route when doing such motorways but those routes always
end up being hampered by numerous traffic lights and
speed bumps making them unusable for commuting.
I feel that the motorist in Ireland pays enough in VRT
and road tax to fund such developments and this is just
another stealth tax. If the NRA does not have the money
in 2005 during a buoyant economy then it is obviously
unable to manage its funds correctly and should be
abolished.
Also why cannot we have toll-bridges that are only
present until the road is payed off and then removed? If
what the NRA says is true about lack of funds then this
is the logical solution.
FRANK CLARK,
Navan,
Co. Meath.
© The Irish Independent, 28th. December, 2004.
