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Promise of a level field
Page 8
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It's not every day the Financial Secretary to the Treasury writes in Commercial Motor—and we welcome Paul Boateng's exclusive comments about plans to charge foreign operators to use our roads. If the Treasury is as "determined" to promote the competitiveness of UK Haulage plc as he says, then it won't find many arguments from us. But, at the risk of sounding ungrateful, what will ultimately count is action, not words, and 2005 is still a long way away. Whatever system the Treasury adopts it must be simple to operate. CM favours a pre-paid discbased scheme. Discs are easy to buy and easy to see (and thus enforce). High-tech electronic alternatives are not only fraught with problems, but at the risk of sounding cynical they're also potentially capable of being "extended" in the future to allow congestion charging.
Many readers must be wondering why they'll have to pay the same road user charge as a foreign rival. That's because under EU rules no member state can make a separate charge on foreign operators without levying it on domestic carriers. Boateng's remark that the government will reduce "other taxes" to ensure that any new charge does not increase costs is reassuring. But which tax? Fuel duty seems the obvious choice— but only for truck operators. They alone deserve an essential user rebate. Mr Boateng wants to hear your view on this critically important topic. Read the consultation document—and let him have it.