Cut dery in Budget: RHA
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THE GOVERNMENT should cut the rate of dery duty in the March 9 Budget, the Road Haulage Association has told Chancellor of the Exchequer Sir Geoffrey Howe.
In a letter sent last week, the RHA said that the 11.9p per litre duty payable in Britain is already higher than in any other Western European state, and that as the Government is not prepared to put pressure on oil companies to cut their charges, the onus falls on the Government.
"This would reduce the pressure on the hard-pressed road haulage industry which receives no subsidies, social or otherwise, and where income in the form of charges has not kept pace with costs.
"Further, it would contribute to the stability in the price of goods generally, and would assist our international road hauliers and exporters in their continuing and fierce competition with foreign companies," it added. In a similar vein, the RHA has appealed for the Chancellor to use the expected switch to gross weight taxation as a means of introducing a proper assessment of track costs, with a reduction in the rate of taxation for some categories of vehicle.
"The road haulage industry acknowledges that goods vehicles should meet genuine costs through taxation, but it is in no position to cOntinue to pay large sums in excess of these costs," it said.
And it has gone on to offer its services in helping the Chancellor re-assess track costs to get them to a level more acceptable to the industry.
Arguing in favour of an increase in lorry weights, as proposed in the White Paper on lorries, people, and the environment, the RHA says that more money must be devoted to the road network, and points out that Britain lags behind West Germany and France in this respect.
"The road haulage industry, traditionally the first in and first out of a recession, would benefit greatly from the introduction of a vigorous and well planned road-building programme," it added.