man, what an embarassment

i call bullshit on this one.

tax (n.)
~a contribution for the support of a government required of persons, groups, or businesses within the domain of that government.
~a fee or dues levied on the members of an organization to meet its expenses.
~a burdensome or excessive demand; a strain.

charge (n.)
~an incurred expense
~the price demanded for something (as admission or use)
~a debit to an account; especially : a debit resulting from unexpected operating expenses

congestion charges are the price you pay for the right to add to the congestion in a high demand area. its an vehicular admission fee into the central area of london. singapore does the same thing. the logic is: by entering this area your adding to the congestion, and that has a measurable impact, and you should pay for your share of the impact.

singapore has a slightly different scheme than london, if my memory serves correct. their fee is on a sliding scale (vs. the daily charge that londen imposes) which is determined by time of day and demand. basically, during rush hour the fee is higher. the idea is that if people have to pay more to drive into these downtown areas at times of peak demand, it might encourage them to use other modes. like transit. or bikes. or for christ sakes they could walk. or come to downtown at an off-peak hour - when congestion is lower, and the impact of their individual travel doesn't exacerbate the situation to the same degree.

ok, the other part that bothers me about this is the arrogance of the "we're not paying your fee we don't agree with because we don't have to" stance this displays on foreign soil, which obviously flaunts a law or ordinance that those people (our hosts) have decided is in the best interest of their community.

and we wonder why so many people around the world are down on us.