Road tax is calculated with the help of GPS

Road tax is a problematic constant these days, since congestion charges and the average speed cameras that catch speeding have caused considerable discontent among drivers.

Many people drive short journeys but still have to pay the same taxes specified for long distances.

But it seems that the Dutch Government has managed to develop a viable solution with the help of GPS. Through this system, cars are tracked, so that the time period used by owners, the distance travelled and, of course, their current location can be known.

All the information is sent to a government computer via the car’s transmitter and the cellular network; finally the tax is calculated individually. It is reported that data on the driver’s location is not stored (we very much doubt that is true).

The project is still in its trial period but will be implemented permanently from 2011, starting with commercial trucks, and finally all cars will have to switch to the new tax system from 2016.

Until 2011 the Dutch Government will test the infrastructure and the technology through a series of trials to make sure the system works properly.

Via | Motor Authority