The new T-charge system in London will cost taxpayers £27,000 a day to run, according to city mayor Sadiq Khan. 

Khan admitted that the new charge for drivers of the most polluting vehicles, which was introduced today, won't make any money for the London authorities, and will in fact run at a loss of £7m a year.

'We don't make a profit from the T-charge – it's costing us. So the T-charge will cost us money but I think that's a price worth paying to improve the quality of our air,' he said.

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The £10 charge almost doubles the current congestion charge rate of £11.50 per day, and is aimed at pre-2005-registered cars that don't meet Euro 4 emissions regulations. Khan has said that his aim isn't to ban people from driving cars in the capital, but rather to 'discourage' them. 

The Road Haulage Association has already criticised the new charge, saying that clean air shouldn't come at 'any price'. RHA chief executive Richard Burnett said: 'We fully appreciate Mayor Khan’s vision for a cleaner, healthier London. However, to further penalise the industry that is responsible for keeping the shelves of its stores, restaurants and tourist attractions is not the way to do it. It’s wrong to punish the lorry industry that moves the UK economy.'

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