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)on't forget your pId friends in ransport, Alistair
Page 30
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THAT WITH ONE thing and lather, the Chancellor of the xchequer, the Rt Hon Alistair lading, has had a bit of a rough me lately.
I wonder whether he looks ack to his almost record making four years asTransport 2cretary with great affection, id whether he reflects on the ys of receiving constant appeals, legations and missives from the reight Transport Association 'TA) telling him what he should doing for the good of the road ansport industry. Compared ith his present headaches then m sure we were pussy cats. But there remains plenty of nfinished business in transport, >Darling is still in our sights even we may have slipped from his. There cannot be a single perator in the country who is not )ncerned at the spiralling price of .ude oil and its impact on the cost f diesel.Some industry players aye proven better at dealing with iese increases than others openaok accounting,fuel surcharges, ien (whisper it) higher prices for istomers have all played a part. ithers have been less fortunate have not been able to pass on te extra costs.
One way or the other, everyady has had to deal with it. The Chancellor added to the idustry's problems by increasing fuel duty from 1 October and still plans to put another 2p on in April. Hopefully we can talk him out of that.
But the real solution is not that complicated. For 10 years now the FTA has been calling for a redesign of the way fuel duty is charged so there are separate schemes for private cars and commercial vehicles. In that way vans and lorries would not he mopped up in any fuel duty increase aimed at private motorists. For too long goods vehicles have suffered the collateral damage of measures aimed at car drivers.
Back in 1999 the ETA suggested a number of ways in which separation could be achieved: 'blue' diesel for CVs only; an essential-user rebate; a VAT adjustment; a special industry fuel card and others. Once again we are looking to provide new ideas fora break and are consulting with leading firms of accountants and consultants with a view to suggesting how best it can be done to suit the needs of both the industry and the Exchequer., But we are convinced it is not especially complicated. It's not rocket science.Ancl it would create a fair deal fora major sector of the economy suffering from excessive taxation and unfair foreign competition.
So come on,Alistair, take a break from your present problems and do a bit of good for your old friends in transport.Ten years has been a long time to wait for such a simple solution.
Geoff Dossetter External affairs director Freight Transport Association