I believe that foreign owned heavy goods vehicles, which often pay no
tax in our country, should be required to make a contribution towards
the upkeep of our roads network. British haulage firms will be paying
road tax, fuel duty and business taxes, whereas many foreign owned and
registered lorries will not even pay fuel duty as they can fill up on
continent and complete their tour of the UK without needing to take on
more petrol or diesel. Therefore introducing such a scheme is about
fairness and ensuring that all heavy users of our roads are making a
contribution to their upkeep.
This is an issue I have written about before and one where the
Government had pledged its support to do something to address this
problem. I am therefore pleased to report back that last week the
House of Commons approved the Government’s proposal to introduce a new
levy on foreign lorries using our road network. The new levy will come
into effect in April 2014 and will apply to all lorries weighing over
12 tonnes. Whilst all lorries must be registered, UK businesses will
qualify for a reduction in HGV excise duty, for the amount
corresponding to the value of the levy. This should make the scheme
cost neutral for firms that pay UK taxes, whereas this will be an
additional charge for foreign owned lorries. The cost of the levy will
depend on the vehicle type, weight and number of axles, and the range
of charges go from £85 up to £1000. This means that lorries that have
more of an impact on the wear and tear of our roads will pay more.
There will be a £5,000 fine for lorries using our roads who have not
paid and a register will be kept of all vehicles that have paid or are
due to pay. This register may also make it easier to trace the owners
of foreign lorries where we believe that the driver may have committed
an offence or caused damage to verges, road sides or other vehicles.
The introduction of this levy finally addresses an issue that has been
discussed for years, and now action has been taken to do something
about it. I would like to thank Mike Penning, now the Minister of
State for Northern Ireland, but who recently as Roads Minister
listened to the representations from myself and other MPs, as well as
the road haulage industry, and got these proposals drawn up by the
Department for Transport.
They say that business can sometimes feel like a jungle, but I was
delighted last week to be invited to open two new ones that are
specialising in the care of animals. On Friday I opened the new
veterinary surgery at the Pets Home Store in Park Farm, Folkestone. On
Saturday morning I cut the ribbon to mark the first day of business
for Best Buddies Pet & Fishing Supplies in Martello Drive in Hythe. I
would like to wish both new businesses all the best for the future