Chancellor Stalls on Chassis Purchase Tax
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MHEN the question of purchase tax VI( on commercial-vehicle chassis was raised in the House of Commons, on Tuesday, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. Heathcote Amory, was non-committal. He had been asked by Mr. Gerald Nabarro (Cons., Kidderminster) to remove the tax forthwith because of the evidence that it was causing dathige to our export trade in commercial vehicles.
The Chancellor said he had noted Mr. Nabarro's views, although he could not agree with his inferences.
Mr.. Nabarro said a militant factor in depressing British export sales of commercial vehicles had been the extraordinarily high purchase tax paid on the home market—some 15 times greater than our German competitors, He asked the Chancellor to review the tax and relieve it before the next Budget in view of present conditions in the export trade and because its yield was relatively tiny in relation to the whole of purchase tax.
There was l aught e r when ihe Chancellor remarked that Mr. Nabarro had started his campaign rather early this year. He added: "it would he very dangerous for me to start agreeing with you at this early stage."
R.H.A. AND COAL SWITCH TO RAIL CURTHER consideration was given by I the national executive committee of the Road Haulage Association, on Wednesday, to the agreement between the British Transport Commission and the Central Electricity Generating Board for the transfer of coal traffic from road to rail.
• The committee also received details of the Association's publicity campaign, due to be inaugurated on March 1 and briefly outlined by The Commercial Moior last week.
Consideration was given to four resolutions from the Association's conference at Torquay last month. They conceined the standard of fitness or cafes, employers' liability for the falsification of records, the use of farm tractors for hire or reward, and a proposal that a central public authority should be set up to take over responsibility for the roads
Devon and Cornwall Area urged on the executive that all vehicles up to 10-cwt. payload capacity should be free from the speed limit and should not require log sheets. The Metropolitan and South Eastern Area called attention to the slipperiness of some plastics materials being used for white lines on roads. The Northern Area called for the standardization of flashing indicators.
SPEEDS FOR LIGHT VEHICLES
A CHANGE in the speed limit for .‘ light goods vehicles, including pick's being considered by the Minister ,port, who hoped in he near to obtain the opinions f repreaye organizations on the subject.
J. information was given in Parliamtary reply last week.