T.R.T.A. and B.R.F. Call for End of Levy
Page 39
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
THE national council of the Traders' Road Transport Association decided, at a meeting in Edinburgh last week, to press for the abolition of the levy. Mr. S. C. Bond, president, commented that this impost was cordially disliked in all quarters.
He had been alarmed to hear forecasts that the purchase tax on commercial vehicles was to be increased. Any such move would be strenuously resisted by his association. They would continue their efforts to secure eventual total abolition of this tax, which should never have been imposed on commercial vehicles.
Sumptuary ,Tax It was essentially a sumptuary tax introduced during war time to curtail purchasing power at a period of scarcity, but its effect in this instance was to give artificial boost to transport charges.
The question of raising the heavy vehicle speed limit from 20 m.p.h. to 30 m.p.h. had dragged on too long and, in dealing with the question, successive Governments had displayed obvious signs of weakness.
Mr. Bond described the Government's proposals for road construction as paltry and unrealistic. He would not .0-'e motorways top priority. They might be desirable, but by-passes around towns and villages, and the removal of bottle-necks and black spots, were required first.
The country should have a National Highways Authority and money should be raised by the floating of a road loan of 000m.---£700m.
The British Road Federation have proposed that in the Bill to permit the British Transport Commission to retain additional vehicles, there should be a provision to amend the section under which the levy is imposed.
Although disposals will not have been completed by the time amending legislation is tabled, and the Minister could fairly say that he was unable to calculate the final precise figure of corn
pensation payable to the B.T.C., it should be possible as soon as the Transport Fund Accounts, 1954, are published to gauge the compensation paid to the Commission in respect of vehicles disposed of during that year, the B.R.F say.
Up to the end of May last the levy had raised £7.8m. As the Minister had said that vehicles had not been disposed of at a loss, it might be possible to demonstrate that this total would meet all the legitimate claims of the Commission.
Amending legislation should certainly include an adjustment of the sum for disturbance which is written into the 1953 Act, and in introducing his Bill the Minister should declare the period during which the levy will continue.
"WISE TO SCRAP TRAMS" I T becoming clearer that the decision to abandon Edinburgh's trams was a wise one, and that with the spread of the city there was no other way efficiently to develop transport services, CHI% J. Chalmers Brown said last week when he presented the transport committee's progress report to Edinburgh City Council.
About 75 per cent, of transport services were now being provided by buses. The conversion from trams to buses would probably be completed
within a year. After this, the committee intended to consider remodelling the complete service.
LEYLAND OUTPUT GROWS A SUBSTANTIAL increase in production was achieved by Leyland Motors, Ltd., in their financial year ended September 30. Output of Leyland Comet lorries and buses was about a third higher than in the previous year, the increase being shared almost equally between home and export markets.
More packed units forthe assembly of Comets abroad were shipped, and home deliveries of Titan chassis and heavy goods vehicles were also greater.