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
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180 
Transport policy 'is in ruins' FTA
Page 32
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
GOVERNMENT transport policy is already in ruins — weeks before the publication of the White Paper.
Freight Transport Association president Ian Phillips said that the destruction had been completed by Chancellor Denis Healey when he added £158 million to the industry's costs in the last Budget.
Speaking at the FTA annual dinner in London, he accused the Chancellor of destroying any semblance of equivalent treatment for both road and rail. "Such equity was supposedly the cornerstone of the transport policy."
He told members that commercial vehicles now paid £926 million a year against total track costs of £520 million. "No juggling with the figures could change this fact," he said.
Mr Phillips said that not one shred of evidence had been produced to support claims that road transport did not pay its track costs.
"We could only conclude that commercial road transport was once again being regarded as a convenient milch-cow, regardless of the effects on industry, or that the Treasury was so hooked on the concept of increasing taxes to match inflation that it was totally blind," said Mr Phillips.
On lorry weights he said that agreement with the nine EEC countries would unlock many profitable doors and it was vital that we looked at the EEC proposals with an unprejudiced mind. He commented that t] would be no environmental damage tha present from increa weights but there woulc substantial benefits Britain.
Mr Phillips said I Britain's hauliers In working at a seri disadvantage when comp with their contine competitors.