No let-off for ancillary equipment

20th June 1969, Page 196

20th June 1969

Page 196

Page 196, 20th June 1969 — No let-off for ancillary equipment

Noticed an error?
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.

• A Tory bid to remove ancillary equipment from the unladen weight of commercial vehicles was not pressed to a vote this week after meeting with Government resistance.

Mr. Michael Alison (Barkston Ash) said that the sort of equipment they had in mind included items such as refrigeration plant on heavy lorries and tailboard lifts . . . modern equipment to facilitate greater efficiency in transport and distribution.

Under the law as it stood, said Mr. Alison, these items, being included in the unladen weight for excise duty purposes, involved operators in increasingly heavy duty payments.

Mr. Bob Brown, Parliamentary Secretary to the MoT, said the amendment was completely unacceptable because of the effect it, would have on revenue and administration. A number of vehicles which had built-in equipment of some sort was not likely to be fewer than 200,000 and it could well be many more. A provision which required the weight of specialist equipment, and especially fittings, to be discounted from taxable weight would be quite unworkable.