<% ballot="" ' Check nothing is broken broken = 0 if ballot = "" then broken = 1 end if set vt = Server.Createobject("mps.Vote") openresult = vt.Open("Vote", "sa", "") ' Created object? if IsObject(vt) = TRUE then ' Opened db? if openresult = True AND broken = 0 then ballotresult = vt.SetBallotName(ballot) ' read the vote votetotal=(vt.GetVoteCount(ballot, "yes")+vt.GetVoteCount(ballot, "no")) if votetotal <> 0 then ' there are votes in the database numberyes = vt.GetVoteCount(ballot, "yes") numberno = vt.GetVoteCount(ballot, "no") percentyes = Int((numberyes/votetotal)*100) percentno = 100 - percentyes ' fix graph so funny graph heights dont appear 'if percentyes = 0 then ' percentyes = 1 'end if 'if percentno = 0 then ' percentno = 1 'end if else ' summut went wrong frig it numberyes = 0 numberno = 0 percentyes = 50 percentno = 50 end if end if end if %> Votes so far:

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Of course you should pay more tax on your vehicles but equally important -- your politicians should also make sure that the revenues from such a tax should be used for the benefit of public transportation.
H. Avlakur, UK

Absolutely NOT. I am retired, disabled, on a fixed income, and I live in a rural area largely devoid of public transport. Can anyone explain how taxing me into becoming housebound can possibly reduce the traffic queues in our cities? Whatever means is found to control growing car use, it must NOT be economic. That simply ensures that motoring is reserved for the rich rather than those who need it most. It would actually make more sense to REDUCE Road Tax - many people might be prepared to use their cars less if an idle car didn't mean wasted tax. Or how about resurrecting the 3-wheeler by totally abolishing the tax on small, low-speed 3-wheel vehicles?
John Luby, Scotland, UK

In the UK we already pay far too much tax for using vehicles - much more than many other countries. American readers will be astonished that we pay about £3 for a gallon of petrol (that's a little under $5), most of which is tax. Many of us use public transport when we can because it's less stressful than trying to drive into cities. However, it often simply isn't there - anywhere more than about ten miles from a large town or city is deprived of good public transport and a car becomes a necessity if you need to travel. The solution is to provide public transport which exists and is affordable, then people will use it. Taxing people who have no choice other than to use their cars is unfair.
Neil Tonks, UK

Of course we should pay more tax - especially in the light of the Kyoto conference, and environmental nightmares. We're gasping for air as it is. In the light of the rise in the cost of public transport - again - shouldn't the government be encouraging operators to cut prices instead of pricing people into their cars?
Emma McLachan, Bolton, UK

Very careful thought needs to be given to the way in which tax can be increased to be effective in deterring people from using their vehicles. The British Government has been giving serious consideration to various means of road taxation for some time - perhaps too long without action.
Here in Japan, the disincentives for using cars are various: small road charges for public roads, extortionate road charges for private roads, a speed limit of under 55mph on the very fastest roads and of course the traffic jam.
But given that road users in the UK are prepared to sit on the M25 for an hour or more every day as part of their accepted routine, how far would road taxation have to be raised to have a desired effect? Taxing companies who give staff parking sounds like a truly ludicrous idea, since it is a disincentive to companies to help get cars off the street.
Andi-Tsuyoshi Williams, Japan

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