Yes, Big Brother is indeed watching. And soon he will be counting miles driven in the Netherlands. The Dutch government has announced that it will introduce a driving tax starting in 2012 to “green” its roads. The program is projected to reduce carbon emissions by 10 percent and cut traffic congestion in half, according to an AFP report on Breitbart. The plan supplants existing sales and road taxes.
 
The average passenger car will see its purchase price drop up to 25 percent, according to the Associated Press. However, this savings would be offset by a driving tax of about seven cents a mile initially, and it will increase through 2018. In principle, this new program charges motorists based on infrastructure use, with the aforementioned benefits.
 
To ensure accurate billing, GPS devices (not navigation units) will be fitted to cars and trucks that will share travel data with a government collection agency. The Traffic Ministry has said the information would not be used for other purposes.
 
Many GPS makers are looking to use devices and even cell phones to provide real-time traffic data here in the United States—a crowdsourcing approach to improving traffic information. What the Netherlands plans goes a step beyond tracking motion; it is track each specific user’s movement.

How would you feel about the government tracking your travels, then billing you for it?

For more information on portable automotive GPS navigation systems, see our Ratings, first looks, and buying advice and watch our video guide. Discuss GPS devices in the forums.

—Jeff Bartlett