Will drivers face a tyre tax in push to curb pollution?

DRIVERS could be hit with a ‘tyre tax’ in the Government’s latest crackdown on harmful emissions.

The Department for Transport is reported to have hired advisers to explore ways to address pollution caused by brake and tyre wear. Experts say these emissions are more harmful than diesel fumes.

It is feared that even after vehicle engines become entirely non-polluting, tyre emissions will persist.

Now consultancy firm Arup has been asked to ‘develop recommendations on how to better assess and control these emissions’, according to Whitehall papers. It is seen as a strong indication of a ‘ tyre tax’ in the future, although officials deny this.

Andy Turbefield, of Halfords, told the Daily Telegraph: ‘Worn tyres and faulty brakes are two of the biggest causes of accidents.

‘As it is, many motorists are delaying tyre replacement and basic maintenance because of the cost of living crisis. Using the tax system to penalise people for keeping their vehicles in a roadworthy condition is not a good policy.’ Almost 2,000 times more particle pollution is produced by tyre wear than is pumped out of the exhausts of modern cars, research has found.

Despite efforts to develop tyre technology to reduce dangerous emissions, the Environment Department last week revealed that nonexhaust emissions have ‘remained largely unchanged between 1996 and 2021’.

A Government spokesman said: ‘ We want to better understand the impacts of non-exhaust emissions, such as tyres, on the environment... This research was not commissioned to inform tax policy development.’