NOBODY driving on UK motorways over the last six months can have failed to see the enormous increase in the number of foreign trucks.

Sadly, many of these vehicles are here due to our government's policy of ultra-high duty on diesel and ultra-high vehicle excise duty on trucks - the UK has the highest rate of transport taxes in Europe; highest by a mile!

A UK 40 tonne truck pays £25,800 per year in fuel tax and VED - the same French vehicle pays just £11,500.

Because of their ability to operate cheaper taxes than UK operators, foreign trucks are able to offer cheaper haulage rates. They are now making serious inroads into both UK international and domestic haulage - they are taking business from our transport industry.

Due to UK transport taxes, the cost of transport to British industry is about 15 per cent higher than elsewhere in Europe. If the Government delivers on its promises for further increases in diesel duty then by 2002, this figure will increase to 20 per cent. This means that it is not just our transport sector that is suffering - it is the whole of UK industry.

The government claims that this policy is 'good for the environment' because it is supposed to encourage lorry operators to move goods less. In fact, it hasn't saved a single lorry journey - lorries have to travel on our roads because companies and people want goods moved.

High taxes are hurting the transport sector and the whole of UK industry. They are not improving the environment.

The Government simply must scrap this damaging policy.

HEATHER CROCKER, Regional Policy Manager, Freight Transport Association, Low Lane, Horsforth, Leeds.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.