'Base road tax on plated weights' says TA
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• A road fund tax of about £13 per plated gross ton is suggested by the Transport Association in a memorandum to the Ministry of Transport as part of a scheme to replace the present unladen weight as a basis for excise taxation. The TA has offered to meet Ministry officials to explain its suggestions.
The Association feels that use of unladen weight has caused manufacturers to give undue attention to this factor in designing lorries, and has tended to produce a less satisfactory vehicle than would otherwise have been the case. The system of checking unladen weights is also time-consuming for the authorities and the operators.
Using plated gross weights would simplify licensing, says the TA. In the case of tractive units and trailers the licence duty would be based on the plated weight of the tractive unit. The following table shows how the old and suggested new systems might work out:—