Today is Budget day and the FTA (Freight Transport Association), which represents transport firms operating more than 220,000 goods vehicles, has called on the Chancellor to:
Abandon plans for an above-inflation fuel tax increase on 1 April and freeze duty at current levels in 2010/11
Introduce a fuel price stabiliser, provided it can be made to work for the industry
Leave lorry VED (vehicle excise duty) unchanged
Make early progress in introducing a time-based truck road user charge to ensure that foreign lorries pay their way on the UK's roads, together with a parallel compensation mechanism to offset the charge for UK-based carriers
Help the freight industry's actions to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by widening the scope of low-carbon HGV investment grants and providing the right investment environment for the development of low-carbon refuelling infrastructure.
