Lorry charges branded 'double taxation'

Moves for new charges on lorries to compensate for their pollution were slammed this afternoon as a blatant case of double taxation.

MEPs on the European Parliament’s Transport Committee backed plans for direct taxes on lorry CO2 emissions and noise.

They also supported a levy for lorry congestion, but only if a congestion tax was slapped on other vehicles too.

The ideas – modifying the EU’s existing “Euro-vignette” licence required for lorries using EU roads – still have the run the gauntlet of the full European Parliament and EU transport ministers, but UK Independence Party transport spokesman Mike Nattrass said: “The new version of the Euro – vignette would be a catastrophe for the HGV sector and the British economy.

“To be putting extra costs onto transport at this time will just ramp up costs when the wheels are already coming off the economy.”

He went on: “A CO2 tax is completely unnecessary as it is already factored into fuel duty. It is blatant double taxation.

“Why does the EU see it as its role to punish the few remaining businesses without giving any alternate solution?

John Cooke, proprietor of HGV company Tameside Transport, said it was a “crazy” idea.

“How can you apply a congestion charge to trucks? If you succeed in forcing trucks off the road, you have empty shops or the haulier has to pass it on the costs to their customers. So really it is a tax on industry in the middle of a recession.”

The MEP behind the Transport Committee report approved today, Belgian Socialist Said El Khadraoui, said road transport had to be made more sustainable.

“The package of environmental measures would allow EU governments to calculate costs related to noise, air pollution and congestion caused by lorries, and then levy the relevant charge.

“The revenues of the charging scheme are to be used to mitigate the negative environmental effects of lorries.

“This should lead to a significant reduction of noise, air pollution and congestion in the middle run, and in time also to a reduction or an abolition of the charges.”

Some European legislation on road charging already exists in the current “Euro-vignette Directive” which regulates how member states charge for the impact of European lorries using their roads.

According to Mr El Khadraoui’s report approved today, the costs of noise, air pollution and congestion would have to be calculated to an EU-wide formula, with a cap on the total that could be charged.

The Belgian MEP said: “The trucking sector wants to pay as little as possible. I understand that, but the sector has to take its responsibility, and we need to encourage them to organise their operations more efficiently, using economical incentives. This way, we can create a more sustainable transport system.

“The introduction of the measures that we are now deciding upon would already cause a small revolution in the transport sector because it puts the principle of ’the polluter pays’ into practice.

“At this moment, society pays indirectly for the nuisances lorries cause, such as the costs for healthcare to citizens caused by highway noise, or respiratory ailments as a result of air pollution.”