A myriad of individuals believe that in order to solve traffic-related problems in Vietnam, the government should levy a heavy tax on private car owners and use that money to develop the public transportation system. Although this opinion brings many merits, there are also several demerits of such a remedy and this essay will shed light on it.
On the positive side, there are numerous reasons to support the idea that imposing heavy tax on private car owners can resolve traffic problems. First and foremost, when the car owners have to pay a large amount of money for taxes, they might tend to use public transportation instead. Consequently, the number of vehicles circulating on streets will decrease which could help reduce traffic congestion. Thanks to this, the air pollution problems can be partly solved as the exhaust from vehicles were lessened. Secondly, if the money obtained from tax is used effectively to improve public transportation, this system will become more cutting-edge and be able to meet citizens’ needs. A pertinent example for this is that instead of using traditional buses to travel to their hometown, individuals can use underground subways to save time and have better experiences.
Irrespective of the argument above, it is essential to recognize the negative effects of this issue. Due to the substantial imposition of taxes, there will be some people having to shoulder a big financial burden, especially those who cannot access the public transportation system. A typical example is that in the countryside or remote areas, where public transportation has not been popular, the inhabitants will choose cars to commute to work as it is convenient. Furthermore, the auto industry can be adversely affected. It could be explained by the fact that, when being paid heavy taxes, fewer people will purchase cars. As a result, fewer job opportunities would be created in car sales and car manufacture, leading to the downfall of profits.
In conclusion, although imposing heavy tax on private car owners to solve traffic problems brings several benefits, it also causes numerous problems to citizens. In order to tackle this issue, the Vietnamese government should find other reasonable approaches and regulate new policies.
