AIBU to question people claiming they would happily pay more tax?

Only if they know the council planning and infrastructure and reasons why that particular road needs to be built. So why pay them more rather than do it in house.

Are you saying private companies should just decide to build a road?

Out of the blue?

Thin air apparently.

We already pay enough. Like I said before, anyone who feels people aren’t paying enough is free to contribute extra. But of course they won’t

Because it wouldn’t be enough to make any difference. It’s been spelt out for you enough times.

Why would they? They would only ever do it if they could make a profit out of it, which means you'd end up paying more to drive on it than your taxes that go towards constructing and maintaining it, as the government isn't trying to make a profit. Imagine having to pay a toll on every road you drive on, cameras logging your car as it turns each corner, totting up the bill that comes to you each week. You drive down a road after heavy rain and a pothole appears, the cameras log you as the last car to drive over it before the hole appeared so you get sent a bill for repairs, because why would a profit-minded private developer want to use their own money to maintain something that can be blamed on a user?

The motorways in France seem to work pretty well being run by private companies.

having seen the costings on public projects I wouldn’t assume it is actually much cheaper than a private company would charge tbh

another example is getting a company to pay for infrastructure upgrades around. Ew developments - like the Warner brother theme park

but obviously oversight and big picture planning needs to be done centrally but it is very simplistic to assume the public sector can provide things cheaper and more efficiently than the private

Private financing and private capital. Do you not think private infrastructure projects happen or are possible? We didn't need the government to make cars. Why is a road all that difficult?

Motorways are something that can work alright as toll roads (but incredibly annoying for motorists) but if we're not paying taxes for roads we would need all roads to be paid for by private developers, including the ones that are used very little. Unless we'd be happy with people in more rural areas being cut off. Those lesser used roads aren't going to be bringing in much money at all, certainly not a profit, so either fees will have to be higher elsewhere to offset the cost or they just won't be built and maintained.

The 'Government' does not build any roads. They are built by civil engineering Companies so the Government tenders the work but they are built by people that know what they are doing others. I mean, God help us all if the public sector actually had any hand in the actual construction ....

Electronic road pricing is a good idea

I’m not paying another penny while the benefits bill is so high. Sick to death of subsidising everyone else while drowning myself.

Its a terrible idea, who wants to get bills all the time for driving places? It would price out lower income people from owning cars at all so their employment options will be reduced and more people will end up unemployed. That won't help the economy at all.

We do get charged for driving places, in various areas of London.

No. Its not unreasonable but I’d rather not pay more tax tbh.

We pay enough and get nothing in return.

A&E wait times still 7 hours on a good day; potholes a plenty; crackheads on the street and still the same old chestnut for council tax increases “we need to pay for adult social care”

I’d gladly pay what I pay now IF we actually saw a return on investment.

Give me Scandi level conditions and I will gladly pay Scandi level tax.

To be honest I think we are being run by the banks.
The banks run the Government who do whatever they want. That's why the politicians keep getting richer (have you ever known of so many multimillionaire MPs?) just look at Rayner from council house to multimillionaire - how exactly?

And the banks are just mercenary cunts.

The Government just keep wasting the public money and looking for more reasons to bankrupt us all.

It wasn't for nothing that Jesus wouldn't let the bankers into the temple.

And how much do people complain about that? Imagine it being like that absolutely everywhere. Except for the places where they won't be any roads because they aren't profitable enough.

Well we keep voting in mayors who put it in place.

It’d be harder in locations without as much public transport. I’m not for more taxes anyway, just to say it does happen here.

Just take a look at the NHS. Do you think that’s the most efficient way to run a health service? The private sector is far more efficient than the public as it is driven by a profit motive and gets on with the job.

Look at the US, it has a profit driven private medical system and people regularly go bankrupt due to the medical care while insurance companies find any reason they can to deny investigations or treatments. And prescriptions can be insanely expensive so some people can't afford necessary medications like insulin. The NHS absolutely has issues, but there's a lot worse options out there.

Happening in specific places to reduce congestion and pollution is just such a far cry from having all roads privatised, we probably can't even imagine how bad it could be if all roads were in the hands of private companies - I mean look at how well private companies manage water and sewerage right now, do you want more of that?

Aren’t there toll booths in some places? People do pay.

I wouldn’t because it’s just more money for the public sector to waste and be inept with. I used to work with the NHS and it was painful how much money was wasted.

It pays for the price of using the road? It actually helps correct market failure. It's great.

You pay for how much you drive and use the road.

Every state in the USA is different. My friends in Boston are proud of the healthcare they get and desperately don't want the NHS.

Can’t reply in case you think I’m being personal.