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Road charging going Dutch, could we follow?

Holland is to launch a road-charging scheme for vehicles in a bid to level out costs for motorists’ dependant on usage.
GPS tracking systems will be fitted to all of the country's vehicles, with drivers being charged for each kilometer they travel, in a pay-per-km scheme.
This is scheduled to start in 2012, when other motoring taxes will be dramatically reduced to compensate. Holland's car purchase tax, which currently adds up to 25 percent of the car’s purchase price, will be abolished, as will annual road tax charges.
The Dutch Government estimates that six out of ten drivers will be better off under the pay-as-you-drive system, and that overall tax revenues will remain the same.
Details of each journey will be recorded by a billing agency, with drivers charged around €0.07 (about 6p) per kilometer. Charges will be increased on busy roads and during peak hours, with vehicles that emit higher levels of CO2 charged more.
Holland suffers from some of the worst congestion in northern Europe, and the government hopes the scheme will reduce peak traffic levels by up to 15 percent. It also estimates that the reduced number of vehicles on the roads should reduce accidents by around 7 percent, while cutting overall CO2 emissions by around 10 percent.
The scheme is aiming to provide safer, cleaner roads long term and ultimately have a healthy influence on environment conditions.
On initial response, the scheme is certain to be watched with interest by other nations, including Britain, that have already considered similar road-charging schemes.

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