1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168 
Introduce the 'tank-shine'
Page 18
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
I HAVE JUST read an article on your website (see www.roadtransport.com) about foreign hauliers not buying fuel in this country.
For many years in the 1960s, '70s and '80s I drove from this country all over Europe and the Middle East. On entering France at any Channel port we were always checked for the amount of fuel we were carrying. If we had more than 150 litres, we had to pay tax on the remainder as if we had bought it in France.
This also applied in Germany, but on leaving Germany, if you had more than 150 litres, we would obtain a "tank-shine", as the drivers called it. We had to leave Germany with the same amount of fuel that we arrived with.
If you didn't have a "tank shine': then you had to pay the tax on your excess fuel.
Why can't we do the same? These hauliers come here and carry goods cheaply because our companies are not able to compete with their rates. Also, it would raise massive amounts of revenue for the government. Don't say we can't do it because we are all in the EU. We were in the EIJ when I had to pay extra tax to other EU countries.
If we can bring this to the attention of all interested parties, espedaily the government and all who read your magazine, we can see if we can start something that would be not only beneficial to them but the monies raised could help us pay off the terrible debts we now have after the credit crunch.
Len Smith Via email