Insignificant. Cut -in 'Tax—Mr. Davies
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nESCRIBING the reduction in Excise LI duty on public service vehicles as'
" insignificant" in the Budget debate in the House of Commons on Monday, Mr, Ernest Davies said that the only effective way to help bus operators in their present difficulties would be a cut in or exemption from fuel tax.
Earlier Mr. I. E. S. Simon, Financial' Secretary to the Treasury, had -pointed out that successive 'Governments had refused to discriminate fiscally between different users of fuel. " It wontd 'be quite unfeasible to remit the, duty on
buses only he argued. _ Mr. Davies disputed this. A consider.'able amount of oil fuel was untaxed, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer had just •
made proposals to rerncive liability _to. duty from certain vehicles. If it--were
considered administratively poSsible to exempt these vehicles from fak, Why Was it 'not so' to' exempt buses, he asked.'„
More relief had.' been given to the road haulage industrY,'. by the .abolition of purchase tax on goods vehicle chassis than to passenger transport, which. was suffering .from, a number of factors outside its own responsibility. The cut in Excise duty meant that a. 65-seater covet. ing 40,000 miles a year would save 0.376d. a mile. This could :have no effect upon whether, any unremurierafive route could be continued.
BUS STRIKERS CRMCIZED
, THE' strikes and vcrorking to rule which disrupted Leicester bus serVices earlier this year are criticized in .a report of the National Joint ,Industrial Council' for the, road passenger transport industry, who have been inquiring into the dispifte. The report says 'that constitutional pro' cedure ,was not adopted and in future' these facilities should be used to the full,.
Discussing Inspector Moore—the mail whom crews claimed was too severe, the report suggests that the fcorperaticin • are the people to decide who they will employ and in what capacities.
£40 FINE ON HAULIERS
LEA DING guilty to seven charges of I letting men drive excessive hours and three counts of not ensuring that records were kept, L. Pike, Ltd., hauliers, Wootton Bassett, were fined a total of £40, with £2 6s. costs, at Wootton Bassett last week. Three drivers were fined a total of 125, with £3 3s. costs.
Lionel Pike, managing director, said the offences had been committed because he was unaware of the regulations. Imposing the fines, the chairman said he was taking this into account.
GRAND SLAM BY A.E.U.?
AN immediate wage increase of 30s. a week "without strings," a national one-day token strike and an overtime ban to enforce the introduction or a 40-hour week, and three weeks' annual holiday with pay, are to be proposed at the annual policymaking conference of the Amalgamated Engineering Union at Easthourne on April 27.