Dutch impose Big Brother green tax

The Dutch government believes it's found “the weapon against the scourge of traffic jams”, announces De Volkskrant. It is tabling a bill to tax every kilometre driven which, starting in 2012, would reach 6.7 cents per km in 2018. A GPS box built into every vehicle will track its position over time and mileage. Transport minister Camiel Eurlings says that with the new legislation we will have “the same level of congestion by 2020 as in 1992”. What is more, the government forecast a 3 million metric ton reduction in CO2 emissions by 2020 and 7% fewer fatalities in road accidents. The Amsterdam-based daily claims that drivers need not worry about intrusions on their privacy: the office receiving the GPS-relayed data “will only know the mileage and how much it costs” – and not where we are driving. Which doesn't quite explain why a GPS box is needed...