Foreign lorry tax to go ahead?

Date: 26/5/2010

The new coalition government has announced plans to introduce a heavy goods vehicle road user charge as part of its programme for government.

According to the policy, the new Conservative/Liberal Democrat regime will supply a system that will provide a fairer arrangement for UK hauliers, which industry commentators believe may suggest a tax on foreign lorries.

Commenting on the announcement, Malcolm Bingham, Head of Road Network Management Policy at the Freight Transport Association (FTA), noted a charging scheme could have a number of tangible plus points.

"After all, by alleviating congestion, for example, it is not just commercial deliveries that will benefit but the environment, local residents and other road users too," he said.

The FTA represents the interests of businesses moving goods by road, sea, air and rail and its members operate more than 200,000 heavy goods vehicles, which accounts for close to half of the entire UK fleet.