The Right to Use Trailers.

12th November 1929, Page 126

12th November 1929

Page 126

Page 126, 12th November 1929 — The Right to Use Trailers.

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THE present system of taxation for moter vehicles demands that where trailers are .employed each motive unit has to pay an additional ff; for the right to draw a trailer. Thus it is not the trailer itself which is licensed.

The arrangement may seem a simple one from the point of view of the authorities con-cerned, but many objections can be raised against it. A user may have a fleet of motor vehicles and only a few trailers, and yet to enable these to be drawn . by any vehicle of the fleet, the additional duty has to be paid f.

or each unit, which has the effect of compelling the user to pay the trailer tax many times over.

It will be appreciated that it is not always desirable to have only one lorry available for trailer haulage, because if such a vehicle be used for other service or be under repair, the trailer is automatically forced out of commission. The whole difficulty could be obviated either by licensing trailers as separate vehicles, or by permitting the additional duty to be paid as a separate licence transferable from vehicle to vehicle. It should not be a very difficult matter to arrange and we commend the suggestion to the Minister of Transport.