Court ruling will push up VED bill
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• Vehicles carrying "fixed equipment", such as drain cleaning trucks, face having to pay more VED following a High Court ruling that they must be classed as goods vehicles.
This followed a case involving Caird Environmental Services where the company had paid VED of £150 because it believed a truck adapted for jetting drains did not fall under the goods vehicle definition.
But the court ruled that VED is chargeable according to the vehicle's "revenue weight" and number of axles. The level of excise duty should be calculated as if the machinery or device was a load, even if it was built in, said Lord Justice Pill.
DVLA chief executive Dr John Ford believes the case clarifies the VED position over this class of vehicle. He warns: "In the light of this judgement, DVLA will take a hard line against operators of fixed-equipment vehicles who fail to pay duty at the correct rate."