Opposition to Excise Licence Increases
Page 36
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
From our Political Correspondent THOUGH the proposed increases in 1 vehicle excise duty have so far been eclipsed by the more spectacular items in the Budget. they will be stoutly opposed during the weeks to come.
Anxious as they are to see more goods diverted from road to rail, Opposition M.P.s are, however, concerned about the possibility that the extra costs will lead to all-round price rises.
During last week's debate, Mr. Anthony Barber, Economic Secretary to the Treasury, took the most comprehensive Ministerial look at the vehicle duties. "In present-day conditions, if one sets the cost of the licence alongside all the other costs—the cost of the vehicle, maintenance, insurance, fuel; wages of the driver, and so on—it is clearly a very small element in the total cost of operation," he declared.
"Even so it has been said that the increased licence duty • on commercial vehicles will add marginally to the general costs of the wide range of goods ' and services. That is not necessarily to condemn it as a way of raising revenue."
Take a Bow
ADDRESS1NG the annual meeting of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders last week, the Hon. Geoffrey Rootes, the Society's president, after referring to the setbacks in the car industry during 1960, said: "There were no such reservations to apply to the record achievements of the commercial vehicle side of the industry, the range of whose products continued to meet a growing demand both at home and abroad, and in the calendar year contributed more than £100m. to our export earnings. The British commercial vehicle industry, in fact, is the largest exporter among European producers."