DEAR PRIME MINISTER
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The following letter was sent to 10 Downing Street by Trans-Action during the Day of Action on Monday.
We in the road haulage industry who are members of TransAction and The Road Haulage Association have come to London and many other towns and cities [Monday 12 April to protest about the unfair increases in fuel and road tax in the last Budget.
These increases and the lifting of cabotage last July have made us in the UK uncompetitive within the EU. It is now cheaper for Continental companies to send their own vehicles to Great Britain instead of sending over loaded trailers for us in the UK to deliver. These vehicles come over with enough fuel for them to work over here for a week, thus doing our internal work as well. Due to their lower vehicle tax and fuel prices they are able to earn at least £450-£500 more in a week than we do in the UK.
On 1 January this year you increased our weight limit to 40 bring tonnes to us into line with the Continent, but in the Budget you increased the road tax for 40-tonne, fiveaxled vehicles from £3,210 to 15,750 (90% of European 40tanners run on five axles). This, combined with the increase on fuel, has made it impossible for the British haulier to compete with our Continental counterparts.
Many of us have asked for increases on our rates but it has been refused.
If the British Government wants us in Britain to be more European, then we must have fuel and road taxes in line with others in the EU.
Can you please arrange for Trans-Action and the Road Haulage Association to meet members of your Government so we can explain exactly what our problems are. We need this to happen urgently as many hauliers only have a matter of weeks before will have to stop trading. For many hauliers it is too late. Trans-Action,
Ashford, Kent.