In Some Countries, The Government Has Tried To Reduce Traffic By Imposing A Congestion Tax During Rush Hours | Band 7 IELTS Essay Sample

In some countries, the government has tried to reduce traffic. For instance, they imposed a congestion tax during rush hour. Do you think this development is positive or negative?

Here is a band 7 IELTS essay on this topic written by one of our students. Need help with IELTS writing? Get your IELTS essays, letters and reports corrected by me.

Band 7 IELTS essay sample

To address the growing traffic challenges worldwide, governments in many nations are levying congestion tax on citizens during peak hours. In my opinion, this is a negative development as it has huge financial implications for the individuals and is not a sustainable solution with any guaranteed benefits.

One serious problem that can arise by imposing congestion tax on daily commuters is that it can impact the economic stability of an individual. Some professionals are forced to work in certain shifts due to their job requirements. This is largely non-negotiable and hence they cannot help/avoid traveling during the peak hours of the day. Banking, for instance, is one such industry that needs to operate during the busy day hours supporting customers, businesses and the stock market. Therefore, it is not fair to make employees pay additional congestion taxes out of their salaries. This will result in an excessive financial burden on the working class and have huge economic implications for society at large.

Another issue, in my opinion, is that imposing congestion taxes is a non-sustainable solution. In other words, this mechanism does not work in the long run as there is no guarantee that it will reduce traffic. This is particularly concerning because such taxes could bring in short term benefits; however, a more structured approach focusing on shared transportation and improving public transport network would bring in long term benefits to society. Moreover, during a pandemic when the majority of the population is struggling to meet their daily ends, tax imposition will garner a lot of negative publicity for the government.

In conclusion, although it has become a popular measure amongst many governments to impose congestion tax to counteract traffic issues, it has brought too many problems for this to be considered a positive trend.

Band 7 essay sample 2

In order to decrease the amount of traffic on roads during peak hours, government officials in certain countries have introduced a congestion tax. In my opinion, this is a positive development as it will encourage industries to move to suburbs and help governments to generate revenue.

One obvious advantage of imposing a congestion tax is making the large corporations re-strategize their office setup. In other words, the working population in any country who travel on roads make up about 60% of the total traffic volume. If any such traffic congestion tax is implied, these employees would immediately raise concerns with their employers complaining about money. This might encourage companies to move their operations to rural areas. As a result, the traffic will reduce significantly.

Another positive aspect of introducing a tax on traffic is that governments can make legitimate revenue. The current working culture is such that businesses are operating round the clock and people are traveling all the time; consequently, peak hours are not just once a day, but multiple times. In such situations, most developing countries can benefit from imposing a tax as vehicles will be running on the roads through the day and night. The government can use this money to improve the road infrastructure.

In conclusion, although the congestion tax can be a burden on individuals, it will force employers to move their operations to small towns and thus reduce traffic congestion in cities.