19/02/2008

Porsche To Challenge Congestion Charge

Luxury car company Porsche has announced plans to challenge the new congestion charge in London.

The German-owned company has announced plans to seek a judicial review in a bid to get the decision overturned.

The move follows Mayor Ken Livingstone's decision to increase the congestion charge to £25 for the highest polluting vehicles entering central London, from October 27.

Most drivers will still pay the £8 charge for entering the zone, which covers central London and parts of western London, such as Kensington and Chelsea.

However, under the new plans, owners of cars with the lowest C02 emissions will receive a 100% discount on the charge, while the owners of the highest polluting cars will have to pay £25.

Transport for London has predicted that up to 22,000 cars will no longer enter the congestion charge zone when the new fees are introduced.

However, Porsche has argued that the charges are disproportionate and will not help to decrease carbon emissions in central London.

Andy Goss, Managing Director of Porsche GB, said: "A massive congestion charge increase is quite simply unjust. Thousands of car owners will be hit by a disproportionate tax which clearly will have a very limited effect on CO2 emissions."

(KMcA)




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