Conservative MEP Philip Bradbourn warns that a series of proposals
Page 46
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
are on their way from Brussels which are set to Me further into the pockets of UK hauliers...
• If you want to sound off about a road transport issue write to features editor Patric Cunnane or fax your views (up to 600 words) to Kicky Clarke on 020 B652 8912.
ii The European Union and its institutions never give up.
Despite having proposals for the harmonisation of income and other taxes sunk by the European Summit at the end of last year, the EC has bounced back with proposals which, if implemented, will cause British hauliers yet more headaches. Three proposals from the EC are currently being debated in th European Parliament: one which would provide for common charge.s and tolls for using European roads; a second which recommends common levels of VAT and excise duties on diesel and other mineral oils; and a third, the Working Time Directive for Mobile Workers, which would limit drivers hours and penalise second drivers in cabs, even trough they may. be resting or sleeping.
The effect of all these proposals is, yet again, to try to regulate competition—and we all know that British hauliers already start a a Competitive disadvantage. This is not only because they have to drive considerably further before they can start to compete with Continental firms, but also—by the European Commission's own admission—because they pay way above the European average for fuel and duties.
Yet the proposals are specific: fuel taxes should be harmonise upwards to try toidrive freight off the road and onto rail. As an island we have little choice but to use road transport; it is currentl economically ridiculous to do otherwise, given the relative distances to be covered domestically.
One idea currently being given serious consideration is to limit all drivers to a maximum 48-hour week—a level below that currently worked by many drivers in the UK.
As for the proposals to limit working hours at night, this will onl add to traffic congestion during the day, not to mention creating a shortage of drivers, reducing overtime, and forcing companies to put more vehicles on the road to cope with restrictions on longhaul traffic. The plans even exclude the possibility of cabsharing, as a second driver in the vehicle still counts as heir at work", even if he is sound asleep. While driver safety is an important issue, the current approach being advocated in some quarters is ludicrous and will only result in lower profits and higher congestion during the day.
As a Member of the European Parliament's Transport Committee I have consistently opposed any moves to bring about these policies and will continue to do so, not only because they will penalise our own companies but also because they fail to recognise the real economic damage which will be inflicted on hauliers, distribution companies and, in the end, their customers and consumers.
These latest ideas from the EC and from the Socialist groups within the European Parliament are not scare stories. They are concrete proposals which have already been the subject of formal debate. While there is still some way to go before they are implemented in EU law, it is essential that haulage companies in Britain are aware of what is at stake.
We may have expensive fuel in the UK. but at least the t competition which occurs in the EU at present allows pressure to be brought on our Government, as last year's fuel protests proved, If the EU gets its w.ay we will all end up paying more, with no chance to change the policy by peaceful protest or through the ballet box. The only winner's will be the Brussels bureaucrats.