MPs take note
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T enclose a copy of a letter
which I have sent to my MP; I urge fellow hauliers to write to their own MPs requesting action on these matters. If we flood the House of Commons with our pleas before the summer recess, we may get some sympathy from the people elected to represent us: Dear Member of Parliament, I would like to point out that British hauliers pay much more for diesel in the UK than hauliers in any other EU country. A staggering 85% of this cost is tax.
This is compounded by the highest EU cost of annual excise duly We pay E3,210 for a 38-tonne lorry in the UK compared, for example, with 510 paid by French hauliers to their government.
When delivering to Europe, British hauliers are charged further tolls and taxes in most countries However, foreign vehicks use British roads free of charge From I July cabotage restrictions ended and foreign hauliers can now muscle in on our domestic haulage market, bringing their own cheaper diesel in high-volume fuel tanks (enough for several days' work), paying no UK road tax and undercutting our costs. Do you consider this to be fair?
Government policy is that higher duty will limit fuel usage, resulting in less pollution and environmental damage. While motorists may be able to seek an alternative, cheaper means of transport, our operational margins are being squeezed to the limit The nation's goods must be transported by road at some stage This work will be undertaken by cheaper foreign hauliers who contribute nothing in UK taxes.
It must be emphasised that we are not anti-European. We simply ask for a fair environment in which to compete, Ian Lacey, Lacey's Freight Services, Swadlincote, Derbyshire