As well as a congestion charge of up to £5 a day, officials are looking at an extra £1 a day car park tax and a job tax paid by employers.

Business leaders claimed today the three-pronged assault would seriously damage the economy of the West Midlands.

The recently-published plan for road pricing in the region warns of other tax-raising plans as well.

A £5 a day congestion charge may not be enough to pay for the £4 billion transport investment the region needs, warns the ‘Gridlock or Growth’ report.

The report, written by consultants for Centro and the seven metropolitan authorities in the West Midlands, warns that local councils may have to find about £1 billion, 20 per cent of the total cost, over 15 years.

It suggests a new “employment tax” with the revenue devoted only to tran- sport improvements or an additional surcharge on car parking of possibly £1 a day.

A spokesman for Centro said of the three taxes: “It’s not necessarily going to be either/or. There may be a number of things you choose to do when dealing with congestion. ”

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