UK motorists are facing hefty taxes from the EU to fund climate change policies.

A new study by the EU has argued that the imposition of aggressive policy measures are required in order to reduce transport emissions, with the plan including controversial road costs and increased fuel levies.

The Drivers’ Alliance Peter Roberts said British drivers were already paying out huge sums to cover the costs of pollution and congestion, while others have claimed than an EU-wide program would erode British sovereignty. UK motorists have already rejected road-pricing schemes, with 1.8 million motorists signing a petition against per-mile charges that the previous Labour government had attempted to implement, whereby drivers would pay up to £1.34 per mile on some of the busiest roads in the country during rush hour. The new coalition government has vowed it will not introduce similar pricing on existing roads.

British motorists pay some of Europe’s highest fuel taxes as it is, with 65p per pound spent at the petrol pumps going directly to the Treasury, in addition to around £45 billion each year in motoring taxes. Of this amount, approximately £8 billion is spent on UK roads.

The contentious EU report was commissioned by the European Commission’s Directorate General for Climate Action, and carried out by ¬climate change consultants AEA. In it, AEA said it was aiming to develop a program for long-term policies reducing transport emissions. Their goal is to slash emissions by 90 per cent by the year 2050 in comparison to levels recorded in 1990.