Thursday 1 June 2023

Running out of road?

How to avoid (net) zero car taxation

The UK is decarbonising its stock of cars quicker than most people expected – last year there were over a million Electric Vehicles (EVs) on our roads. This is great news for both people and the planet, as EVs are cheaper and cleaner to drive. But this transition presents challenges too – not least to the £32 billion of annual tax revenue collected from vehicles.

How can policy makers encourage the switch to EVs in a way that doesn’t land the Treasury with a fiscal hole, or low and middle income families with unfair tax bills? Are there tensions between decarbonising and decongesting our roads? And how can we build political support for vital – but contentious – reforms to road taxation?

The Resolution Foundation is hosting an in-person and interactive webinar – as part of The Economy 2030 Inquiry, funded by the Nuffield Foundation – to debate and answer these questions. Following a presentation of highlights from major new research on reforming road taxation, we will hear from leading experts on how to make the taxation of vehicles fit for the UK’s net zero transition.

The event will be open for people to physically attend, alongside being broadcast via YouTube and the Resolution Foundation website. Viewers will be able to submit questions to the panel before and during the event via Slido.