The Taxpayers' Union has responded to the Government's move towards corridor tolling, welcoming a user-pays approach while warning the system must not become an additional road tax on drivers.
What the union said
In a media release, Taxpayers' Union spokesman James Ross said tolling and congestion charges can be appropriate tools to manage peak demand and fund new road projects, provided they are fair and revenue-neutral. He called for any new toll revenue to be balanced by cuts to Road User Charges so that drivers do not face higher overall costs.
Ross pointed to international examples such as Singapore, arguing a light-touch tolling regime can ease congestion without imposing undue burden on households. He said that keeping charges low and offsetting them with RUC reductions would help secure public support for the changes.
Why this matters for drivers and fleets
If corridor tolling is introduced without offsets, drivers and vehicle operators could end up paying twice: once through tolls and again via unchanged RUCs. The Taxpayers' Union emphasises the need to limit charges to users of the tolled corridor only, otherwise the policy shifts away from a true user-pays model and into broader transport taxation.
For fleets, transport businesses and everyday motorists, the key questions will be how charges are applied, whether any RUC adjustments follow, and how equity across different vehicle types and travel patterns is maintained. The union's public comments set out clear expectations that any tolling reform should not increase net costs for road users.
