My country (UK) has already been nominated as one of the most expensive countries in the world.
Now let's get serious. The gap between the rich and the poor is getting wider by the second. Cars as a matter of fact is no more a luxury but an essential part of our lives; rich or poor.
If the very rich drive around in Humbers at 5 miles to the gallon, I drive around in my 1.3 vehicle at 37 miles to the gallon.
Where we have the likes of Ken (mayor) charging £8.00 to go into the congestion zone, we also have the road taxes going up at every budget speech. We ought not to forget the fuel taxes (that we have even been promised that it will now go up continuosly for the sake of the environment).
I have to restrict my energy use because gas has gone up by 30+% and by another little addition within the past year. Although the prices have come down, that of the gas bills have not.
What about the electric bills? They have also gone up by 22+% in the past year, blaming the gas prices at the time. Now that gas prices have tumbled, where is the reduction?

The Uk has become a country where you cannot have the economic theory of returns. Once a price goes up, it stays up or keeps going up.
If and when the pay by the mile comes in, who loses?
The poor and not too well off. It is true that capitalism only provides for the rich. I think the bible even said that from the poor it shall be given to the rich.

In the city, people have been offered hundreds of thousands in bonuses and their CEOs with millions of pounds in bonues. But when civil servants ask for increments, until there is a strike, we get .1% to 2% increments. This in some cases only amounts to about £50 per annum.
Now I ask where would people like these get the money to pay by the mile when the cars they drive is even as old as you can guess.

The PM and the ministers do not have to pay for any of these and by the time they are retired or sacked, they are provided with generous pensions and pay offs.

So I think that the government is only trying to make the roads become theirs only to use. The obscenely rich included.

I do not believe GB for the reasons for his 'green taxes'. He has only just used the bandwagon effect to hit the poor with more taxes.
What is the difference between the Tories, Labour or LibDem? NOTHING!