1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148 
Aggregates tax threatens tipper jobs
Page 9
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
al A Northern Ireland quarry owner says lay-offs are looming over its tipper drivers as a direct result of the aggregates tax that was introduced in April.
Sean Doonan, general manager of Acheson & Glover, says business at its Belcoo quarry in County Fermanagh has slumped by 75% because of increased imports from the Irish Republic where the 11.60/tonne levy does not apply.
"We have a minimum of seven drivers operating out of here and that could go up to 15 when demand is high," he reports.
"We're hoping that our concerns will be addressed, but there could be lay-offs within a month. We will try all avenues to counteract the impact," he says.
Doonan adds that Belcoo Is the worst affected of the company's six quarries because it is only a mile from the Irish border, but he warns that the aggregates industry is being hit throughout Northern Ireland: "The tax constitutes a price rise to the consumer of 55-40%."
Gordon Best, Northern Ireland development manager for the Quarry Products Association (QPA), says that although the tax is supposed to be levied on any sand, gravel and rock imports into the UK, policing tipper movements across the Irish border requires too much manpower.
Last week the Northern Ireland Legislative Assembly debated the impact of the tax following representations from the QPA.