International hauliers in Limbo over VAT refunds
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ci)ris.tindattfarbi.co.uk INTERNATIONAL hauliers still waiting for VAT refunds stretching back into last year have been told that they may not receive a penny until 2011.
Computer glitches across several European countries have meant that bills owed to UK operators amounting to hundreds of thousands of pounds for fuel bought abroad and money spent on international toll fees remain unpaid.
One company has now told CM it is refusing to pay UK VAT until the Dutch government sorts out the mess.
Vera Budge. at John Budge Haulage, says: I haven't had any money from the Netherlands for October to December of last year. Our agent has said we will be lucky if we get it paid by January 2011. We are talking about €50,000 [1:40,9121 at the moment."
Peter Harding, for Peter Harding Freight, says France is now starting to pay up. but that Belgium and Luxembourg remain problematic.
"It affects anyone doing international work and it shouldn't do,he complains, "Belgium used to be one of the best payers, but now I won't have the first quarter of this year until October. It's 21% of [the cost of] 28.000 litres of fuel a month. It's a lot of money."
Road Haulage Association International Group co-ordinator Heather Wallace says: We know that France seems to have sorted itself out. What the glitches are with the Dutch. Belgians and Luxem bourg nobody seems to know. It's very much an issue," A spokesman for HM Revenue & Customs says hauliers need to approach the individual governments to request that problems are resolved: We wouldn't be able to hurry the country up. Unfortunately it's not something we have any control over."
Last week, the boss of Time Critical International blamed the administration of the company partly on a huge €500,000 (i4O9.078) delayed VAT refund (CM 1) August).