If we all refused to pay the new pay as you go road tax what could the government do?

Question

There's no room in the prisons, so what else could they do?

Answer 1

they would get rid of it
look at the poll tax as an example

Answer 2

The first thing any government will do when significant numbers of people refuse to pay a tax is to start arresting those people whom it believes are the instigators of this rebellion. Always bear in mind that a government in UK has been elected by the people principally to collect tax and redistribute that money as it sees fit. In UK what we usually get is an elective dictatorship - that is, we the people have elected a dictator for five years.

Okay - so in our democracy people are allowed to protest and make as much fuss as they like. However, the people are not allowed simply to refuse to pay a tax which is brought in not just by the government in power but in effect by the will of the people - they elected their government to do exactly what the rebels do not approve of.

Will it lead to civil war? Unlikely. What any government will seek to do is divide and rule and it will achieve this by taking out the 'leaders' of any rebellion and putting them up in court and banging them away in prison for a short sharp bad hard time.

Of course, in any democracy, particularly here in UK, the government have little choice but to obey the will of the people. In effect, if sufficient numbers of people rebel against a law or refuse to pay a tax, then it may have little choice but to go back and re-think that tax and do something about amending or abolishing it.

For a rebellion to be successful it needs to be well organised. The last rebellion was the truck driver's strike [the artizans] - this really did scare the government and certainly looked extremely dangerous and not a bit unlike Wat Tyler's peasant's revolt. Blimey. Yo Blair really did get his knickers in a twist over that.

Answer 3

The government could do bugger all. No-one would pay ridiculus prices just to drive on the roads. They can't arrest everybody, close all the roads etc. Any government would not get away with it, if it came to it bloody Europe may even save us with some small print law which can get us out of it somehow. It may prove to have some uses after all..

Answer 4

if we refused to pay we would be justified, because the gov refused to listen to the people and didnt, this means they are not doing the job they are paid to do.they will extract vengeance against the motorist by using a tried and tested trick. they will probably put up road works all over the main routs to bring traffic to a stand still, then blame the public for not doing what they say,
road works can be used as a strategic wepon for things like causing long delays to drive shoppers into a new supermarket, to stop them travelling farther to one down the road , or shop at the next town instead of your own because theirs road works near the car park entrance and you cant get on,

Answer 5

There isn't a new pay as you go road tax. The government were simply doing their job and considering it as a potential long term solution to traffic congestion.

If a future Government did implement such a scheme and you refused to pay, they could simply confiscate your car.

Answer 6

This not our government rules, it is from the EU, which needs to raise money to pay for the new GPS system, called Galilao, which the black box will use.
The EU have found a way of paying for and justifying Galileo at the same time.

Answer 7

They will do what they do in Australia,Build the roads around in a way that you have to pay to get to the city(work). People have no choice here but to pay or face 2 hours to get to work.

Answer 8

Stand up to the fascist fartknockers

Answer 9

dont know but as my husband travels a lot he would have to give up work,at the moment he travels 200 miles everyday

Answer 10

they could tear the road down. and there would be no more tax.