SPECULATED Government plans to tax vehicles entering the M25 have been condemned by John Lyons, managing director of Godfrey Davis. He said such a scheme would simply add to the tax burden born by drivers and companies, but reduce neither traffic nor pollution levels.

Rumours have circulated of charges of up to £400 per year to enter the M25 London orbital ring road as part of the Government's integrated transport initiative. 'Companies whose drivers have to cross into the M25 as an essential part of their business will be faced with massive increases in fleet operational costs,' said Lyons.

'Expecting such drivers to use public transport, even where this is available, would not be a viable proposition - many essential users have bootfuls of samples or tools that render the use of public transport a non-starter.' He added that such a policy would also have serious repercussions for companies located just inside the M25, many of whose employees cross the motorway in their daily commute. Managing the special licence disc would be an administrative nightmare, Lyons said.