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Government rapped over 'nonsensical' aggregates tax plan
Page 10
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• Tipper operators and aggregates organisations have welcomed a new report from the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee criticising the government's handling of the proposed aggregates tax.
The report has rejected the case for instigating the levy in Northern Ireland and has called for a delay in its introduction (planned for April 2002) until after a re-examination of the tax has been discussed.
Robert Durward, director of the British Aggregates Association (BAA), says he is "delighted" at the committee's stance. "Everyone realises the proposals are nonsensical," he claims. "No background research has been done, and there will be no environmental benefits. The whole thing is a bit of a charade, and it's important to stop the tax before long-term damage is done."
Roger Cullimore, junior vicechairman of the RHA and owner of a tipper operation, adds that closures of quarries as a result of the tax coming in would inevitably lead to a gradual decline in the tipper sector.
There is also concern that operators in Northern Ireland will be particularly hard hit because of its land border with the Irish Republic, giving the South a competitive advantage.
The tax, which was passed in May 2001, will add £1.60/tonne to the existing tax on quarried rock—it is designed to force construction firms to make more use of recycled materials.