P LETTER OF THE WEEK
Page 20
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We're all part of the EU, so shouldn't we all be charged the same amount?
I'M A SMALL international haulier with just four trucks. I operate out of Derbyshire, with regular work loading out of south Germany and back to our warehouse in Sheffield.
Last year, I paid the German government around €14,000 (£12,254) to drive one of my trucks on their motorways, as well as paying full road tax in the UK. Is this fair?
Would it be possible, with the UK in the state of debt we are, to adopt a road charging system? It shouldn't be difficult to do: we are an island with only 30 or 40 points of entry When I first started driving to and from the Continent, the ferries were full of UK transport firms and drivers. Now, the majority of the time. I am the only UK driver on the boat. The transport companies entering and exiting the UK are mainly former Eastern Bloc firms, which never contribute a penny to the UK economy.
This sort of c,abotage is leading them to work at suicide rates. How can good, honest, UK transport firms compete with this?
As a UK transport firm, we are paying at both ends. Since we are all members of the EU, shouldn't we all pay the same road tax per vehicle, whatever the country?
MI Hopkinson MI Hopkinson International & General Heavy Haulage Matlock, Derbyshire