British TIR Trailers to Use R.H.A.-issued Carnets
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FROM A SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
A S a result of representations by the
Road Haulage Association, the Belgian. Dutch and French road haulage associations have agreed to approach their respective Customs with a view to ensuring that TIR trailers ex-U.K. for towing by Continental hauliers are accompanied by carnets issued by the R.H.A. This was one of the decisions reached at a meeting of MI's group of TIR experts in Geneva last week.
The tendency of some British semitrailer operators to apply TIR from Antwerp, Rotterdam, and other Continental ports of entry, using for the purpose carnets obtained from Continental associations, runs contrary to the policy of IRU which requires member associations to restrict the issue of carnets to vehicles registered in their own countries. The group of experts also considered that the general security of the TIR system would be strengthened if the R.H.A. had complete control of the issue of carnets to U.K. professional hauliers running to the Continent.
At the request of the R.H.A., it was further agreed to raise with the E.C.E. group of Customs experts the difficulties experienced by both the R.H.A. and the Traders Road Transport Association as a result of the Customs duties and purchase tax which British Customs impose on TIR carnets received from 112U. It was pointed out that every country in the TIR system granted an overall exemption from duty on carnets. The group considered that the R.H.A. and the T.R.T.A. were unfairly penalized in this respect and it was time that British Customs fell in with the practice of other Customs' authorities as recommended in the TIR Convention.
On the question of 'the application of TIR to road/rail operations (for example, " Kangourou "), the secretary-general of 1RU suggested that the railways would not favour joint liability on the basis of the road part of the journey being under TIR and the rail part under the rail carnet scheme (TIF). The railways would naturally demand that the whole journey must be carried out under either TIR or TIF, and personally he felt that this must be regarded as a reasonable attitude as it simplified the legal aspects. This view was accepted by the group and it was agreed to recommend that road/ rail operations should be carried out throughout under the TM system.