Self-driving cars should be taxed to offset job losses, thinktank urges
Report says widespread autonomous vehicle adoption would put hundreds of thousands of private hire jobs at risk Taxes on self-driving cars should be introduced now in the UK to offset the rise in congestion and threats to jobs they pose, a thinktank has urged. The first robotaxis on London’s streets only started this month , but government projections are that up to 40% of cars sold could have…
A thinktank has called for the introduction of taxes on self-driving cars to offset job losses and increase congestion in the UK. With up to 40% of cars sold potentially having self-driving capability by the middle of the next decade, the Centre for British Progress warns that hundreds of thousands of private hire jobs could be at risk.
The report suggests that introducing charges now could help ease the transition and provide a future revenue stream to replace dwindling fuel duty, which is expected to disappear with the transition to electric vehicles. However, the thinktank acknowledges the potential benefits of self-driving vehicles, including safety improvements and the creation of skilled jobs in the sector.
It urges ministers to act early to mitigate the effects on England's 417,000 taxi and private hire drivers, as these roles are likely to become obsolete with the advent of self-driving vehicles.
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