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RHA seeks German
Page 14
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• The Road Haulage Association is urging the Government to offer vehicle excise duty rebates to international operators following last week's decision by West Germany to impose a road tax on foreign hauliers.
The European Commission has already reacted angrily to the German move and is planning to challenge the 'infrastructure tax' of up to £2,517 in the European Court of Justice.
But the RHA says more positive action is needed. In a letter to Roads and Traffic Minister Robert Atkins, RHA director-general Bryan Colley says: "I understand the Commission is considering taking the Germans to the European Court but this, even if it occurs, would take a considerable time.
"I suggest that a way forward on this issue which will help to protect the competitiveness of British hauliers would be to have their vehicle excise duty abated by an appropriate amount," he says.
German transport minister Friedrich Zimmermann says the new tax is justified, and will be implemented from 1 July, as the EC has taken no action to harmonise fuel and vehicle taxes. He says the German scheme is similar to
one proposed by the EC in 1988 to compensate member states for road damage caused by foreign vehicles.
Several EC members have complained that the move will have disastrous effects on their transport industries, and this week EC Transport Commissioner Karel Van Miert warned that the German road tax would hit British hauliers particularly hard.
Speaking at the Brussels Eurofreight conference in Belgium he said: "British hauliers already have 8% higher costs due to their high VED rates. The German tax could push