Car tax rises: One mum's story

Almost nine million drivers will be left out of pocket under government plans to change the road tax bands to target "gas guzzling" polluters.

Sarah Mosley relies on her car to ferry her children around

It has been forced to admit more than 40% of drivers will end up paying more.

The changes apply to any car bought since 2001 and the basic principle is the more harmful it is to the environment, the more your tax on it will cost.

See how the changes will affect you

We spoke to one Newsbeat listener to find out how the changes would affect her.

Mum-of-two from Darlington, Sarah Mosley, drives a four year old, 1.8 Ford Mondeo, that runs on unleaded petrol.

Her car tax will go up by about £80 when the new changes come into effect.

She said: "I use it to take my children to school, to go shopping and just basic running about really.

"I'd be lost without it because you get used to being able to go places without having to reply on public transport.

"When it's raining my kids don't have to get soaked. It's just very important for me to have it."

It'll mean we'll have to miss out on other things. As a family we won't be able to go out and spend more on the children Sarah Mosley

And she's not happy with the government's plans.

"It's going to be hard when the changes happen. Obviously it's going to be a big jump in price but it's already a struggle as it stands now.

"It'll mean we'll have to miss out on other things. As a family we won't be able to go out and spend more on the children, go out or go away for day trips."

And she thinks ministers and MPs are just out of touch with the public.

"At the end of the day they're benefiting from everything else already.

"They're on a decent wage, they're getting everything paid for for them. They don't think of people who have to pay for it themselves at all - it's wrong."

Gordon Brown has stressed that most drivers will end up paying the same or be better off.

However his critics say it's just slapping more tax on the poorest families.