Road tolls a 'replacement tax' not extra cost, claims Tavish Scott

TAVISH Scott, the transport minister, defended his controversial plan for road tolls in Scotland yesterday, claiming it would be a replacement tax on motorists, not an additional tax.

He confirmed the Executive was considering the introduction of road-user pricing in Scotland - despite the 1.8 million-strong petition from across the UK opposing the scheme on a Downing Street website.

Mr Scott told MSPs: "We will consider using road pricing as a mechanism to address traffic congestion both with the UK government and using our own devolved powers."

The Liberal Democrats want Scotland to take control of existing car taxes and fuel duties, cutting both and bringing in congestion charging instead.

"Road pricing is a replacement cost, not an additional cost," Mr Scott said. He stressed action had to be taken to tackle congestion - pointing out that in 2005 a quarter of all rush-hour journeys were held up by traffic jams. And he asked: "Does Scotland's economy grow if the country's roads are gridlocked? No, it does not."

But the minister insisted he did not want motorists to pay more. "We want to tackle congestion, not penalise motorists," he said. "The solution to congestion and climate change is not more motoring taxes. The public will not accept that. But what people will consider is a balanced approach. They will consider road-user pricing charges if they are balanced against motoring taxation cuts."

He said a road-user pricing scheme, if it replaced existing taxes rather than added to them, could be a win-win situation for Scotland. He said the money could help provide better public transport alternatives for people in big towns and cities. And in rural areas, where public transport was not always available, road pricing could mean motoring becoming cheaper.

He also said such a scheme need not infringe on people's civil liberties. "That is about the system chosen. There are options which respect personal freedom and do not track a vehicle's every move," he said.

He added: "It is sensible that transport policy does consider road-user pricing. But, above all, that must mean tackling congestion while not penalising motorists."

The debate was brought by the Tories, who have launched a website petition against road tolling in Scotland. By yesterday, the petition had attracted 5,000 names.

David Davidson, the Conservative transport spokesman, claimed the debate was about "Tavish's toll tax". He said: "Tavish Scott wants Scotland to go it alone on this matter. He wants Scotland to be the guinea pig in this, in an experiment. Well, Scots don't want that."

The Tory motion calling for no road tolls was defeated without a vote. An Executive amendment calling for road tolls to be considered was passed by 65 votes to 41.