IGASP with amazement at the Government's latest "plan" to force speeding drivers to pay a special £5 levy to raise funds for victims of crime.

This the latest in a long line of Government stealth tax -- which has nothing to do with promoting road safety.

Minor traffic offenders will be ranked alongside serious and violent criminals and charged the extra levies, on top of fines, which will range from £5 to £30, depending on the offence. The money raised would be used to bail out the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme.

This Government's sense of justice is even more distorted than his understanding of economics. This counter-productive scheme will penalise minor traffic offenders who have nothing to do with bringing misery to the victims of serious crimes, and it will let off those who have caused pain and suffering to victims by their deliberate actions for offences such as burglary and assault.

The real criminals will be laughing all the way to the bank. This Government has found someone else to pay for their actions and it looks like it is going to be the "soft touch" motorists who they obviously think have endless amounts of money to pay for excessive fuel duty, increased insurance premiums and road tolls to name but a few!

Andy Morgan

(Councillor Hulton Park Ward)