The UK budget is looming and much of the UK is getting braced for another financial hit and one of the new measures to raise more money to fill the “black hole” is to tax UK drivers at home and abroad, according to the Telegraph. According to reports, British drivers will have to pay 3p for every mile they drive under new Government plans - even if they are not in the country, experts say.
Taking your car abroad for a holiday would not see you avoid the new pay-per-mile tax, so crossing the Channel and driving through France could add almost £50 to the cost of your trip, according to The Telegraph, or even more if heading though France to the likes of Spain and the Balearics.
And the news comes at a time when Balearic Government representatives and island council presidents will be meeting soon to examine the implementation of a regional limit on vehicles entering all the islands. The government is looking to establish an umbrella law for the whole of the Balearics; Formentera and Ibiza have already regulated in this regard.
In Mallorca, restrictions on the arrival of vehicles and hire cars are scheduled to be approved by the Council of Mallorca before the end of this year and then by the Balearic Parliament in the first quarter of 2026. These restrictions are due to be in place before the start of the 2026 tourism season.
Paul Barker, of the magazine Auto Express, said: “It wouldn’t be reasonable to charge drivers for mileage clocked up abroad when they’re not using UK roads or infrastructure, so getting the balance right will be vital to any sort of acceptance by motorists.”
A Treasury spokesman said: “Just as it is right to seek a tax system that fairly funds roads, infrastructure and public services, we will look at further support measures to make owning electric vehicles more convenient and more affordable.”