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Sauce for the gander
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Page 29
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UK international hauliers pay tax in Europe, so isn't it fair that foreign
trucks should pay in the UK? Dylan Gray looks at the schemes that run on the Continent and the possibility of introducing one over here.
The collapse of the lorry road user charge left foreign hauliers still using UK roads for free. The Haulage Industry Task Group suggested a vignette in December 2006 and the Department for Transport (Df r) has recently seemed supportive of the idea.
Speaking at the FINs Freight Summit, Transport Minister Stephen Ladyman said the task group had looked at the relative benefits and costs of the system: "In broad terms foreign hauliers could buy online and would have to pay a daily charge while in the country. It would be cost neutral to British industry because we would adjust vehicle excise tax for UK hauliers." He added that any system would have to use European vignette rates.
Regional support A v ignetle also appears to have regional support. In a recent interview, Paul Carter, leader of Kent County Council, said: "We support the Britdisc, as we call it, or the vignette. We think it could bring us L50m in revenue." (CM 8 March) The latest Department for Transport (MT) figures confirm the influx of foreign trucks in the UK over the past 15 years — annual totals rose from 3630)0 in 1991 to 1.5 million last year. This brings with it the issue of cabotage. where foreign trucks carry domestic loads in the UK before heading back to their countries of origin. Helped by cheaperdiesel,Continental operators routinely undercut their UK corn petitors to take a growing slice of the cake.
Other European countries charge foreign trucks to use their roads. The best known of these schemes is the Eurovignette, which is used in Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Luxembourg and Denmarknese vignettes are bought at the ports from vending machines and must be displayed in the vehicle's windscreen.
However, Austria and Germany have moved into the electronic age with devices in truck cabs measuring the charge as the vehicle is in transit.
French and Italian motorways have widespread toll schemes, but the UK only has the M6 Toll, DartfordTunnel,the London Congestion Charge and a few more local schemes.
Carter's call for the vignette coincides with the UK's debate on road charging. But these are two separate issues. The vignette is for foreign trucks paying to use UK roads, while road charging would affect all vehicles (although there could be some form of compensation for 'essential users').
Falling share
It all comes down to competitiveness. UK hauliers used to have around an 80% share of cross-Channel traffic; this has slumped to 25%, even though the number of vehicles registered in the UK has risen.
A DfT spokesman says: "We're carrying out further work to see how to deal with foreign operators. One way is, of course, the vignette, but we've made no decision either way. We're looking at all options."
In 2005 Commercial Motor called for vignettes for foreign trucks, but nothing has happened yet. We'd like to hear your views — either write to our Letters page or check out www.roadtransport. com/blogs and leave a comment. •