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Social tax on 'heavies'
Page 6
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a non-starter: RHA
MASSIVE increases in commercial vehicle taxation would just mean increases in the cost of living, Road Haulage Association retiring chairman Mr Ken Hatcher told the Association's annual dinner in London on Tuesday.
He could see no sign of economic conditions having improved over the past year and saw very little hope for improvement in the future.
"Agreement with the unions on an income policy is a great step forward — but it is not the only step necessary," he said.
Mr Hatcher said that the Government's Green Paper on transport was not all bad. "We note the reassertion of the principle that the main purpose of the road programme is to benefit trade and industry and that if cuts are to be made the items still to be preserved must be those on which our industrial future depends.
"It is encouraging that an official Government report should so firmly dismiss as a 'pipe-dream' the nostalgic idea that one can turn the clock back and use the railways for traffic that only the growth of road transport has made possible."
Mr Hatcher criticised suggestions of a social tax on heavy lorries. "To try to put a price on the social costs of vehicles is like drawing up a balance sheet with figures only on the debit side," he said.
" I would confidently expect our industry to collect vast tax rebates.
"The purely negative step of exacting more tax does nothing in itself to improve the environment and merely results in higher prices to the public for everything.
"The authors of the document have the grace to say that the present economic situation is hardly appropriate for a substantial increase in goods vehicle taxation and that if the increase does come it will be spread over a period of years."
Mr Hatcher attacked the idea of nationalisation of the haulage industry "Why should we have to soldier on with the Sword of Damocles still hanging over our heads liable to decapitate us as soon as we show any sign of returning vigour?
"The Government would do better to drop the whole idea," said Mr Hatcher.