£1,000 charge on foreign lorries
FOREIGN lorries are to be charged up to £1,000 a year to use British roads.
Haulage vehicles coming to the UK will face the fees to create a “level playing field” for British lorries which have to pay tolls to use most of the roads in Europe.
British firms will also pay the new levy but they will receive an equivalent cut in vehicle excise duty.
Ministers want to impose the new rules as soon as possible. Draft legislation will be published next month.
A lorry entering Britain weighing more than 12 tons will have to pay £10 to visit for a day. Other charges will be £50 for a week, £100 for a month and £1,000 for a year.
Road Haulage Association chief executive Geoff Dunning said: “We have been campaigning for years to see a system introduced which will lessen the financial advantage currently enjoyed by our European neighbours.”
Tory Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: “These proposals will deliver a vital shot in the arm to the UK haulage industry.
These proposals will deliver a vital shot in the arm to the UK haulage industry
“It is simply not right that foreign lorries do not pay to use our roads, when our trucks invariably have to fork out when travelling to the Continent.”