Porsche files judicial review against London c-charge

Posted Wed Apr 2 2008 4:44 PM by Ralph Hanson

Porsche today officially applied for a judicial review challenging the London Mayor’s £25 ($50) congestion charge in the High Court of Justice. The sports carmaker believes the increase of the congestion charge from £8 ($16) a day, or £0.80 ($1.6) for residents, to £25 is both unfair and disproportionate and predicts that the charge could even increase congestion and damage air quality in London.

Commenting on the filing, Andy Goss, Porsche’s UK chief, said, “not only is this new tax on motorists unfair, it is also a disproportionate and illegal use of power by the mayor. The Porsche case is about protecting London and Londoners from a new tax that will not only fail to reduce CO2 emissions in central London, but also increase congestion and damage air quality.”

The charges have been designed with sports cars and SUV’s in mind however there have been suggestions that it will have little effect on overall emissions and that a greater focus on commercial pollution is needed.

Porsche has asked the court to expedite the judicial proceedings as the new charge is expected to come in by October this year.

Reader Comments

Wed Apr 2 2008 5:32 PM
Gus says

Yeah, that's a big jump.
I guess here in the US we're used to tolls on bridges, the most expensive is the Golden Gate bridge at $5. But if they increased that to $50 overnight, people would revolt.
Maybe it's in the American consciousness to revolt. Maybe Britons are too easy to tax into oblivion...
Wed Apr 2 2008 6:59 PM
HECTOR says

I don't know Gus. I don't hear a clamor out of NYC where Mike *Left-Right-Left Again* Bloomberg has just started his own little congestion charge scam.
Wed Apr 2 2008 8:21 PM
Gus says

True.
But like I said, if they increased it 1000% overnight, from $8 to $80, what do you think would happen?

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