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HGV levy raises £17 million

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Author: | Updated: 14 Aug 2014 12:46

The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced that  the HGV road user levy has raised more than £17 million since its introduction in April.

According to the DfT, that’s enough to fund 3,400 extra electric car grants or maintain and power 170,000 street lights for a whole year.

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Hauliers driving lorries weighing 12 tonnes or more are subject to the levy, but UK operators pay as part of their vehicle excise duty to keep admin costs down. For those operating their trucks in the UK for longer periods, discounts are available, so charges vary between £1.70 per day and £10 a day or £85 to £1,000 per day.

With over 618,000 levies paid for more than 112,000 trucks originating from 76 countries, the DfT reckons that 95% of HGV operators have been paying the levy. The 850 drivers caught for failure to pay have coughed up fines amounting to £250,000.

Transport Minister Robert Goodwill said: “I welcome these figures which show that the levy brought in by this government is really working.We anticipated the levy would generate around £20 million a year – to take £17 million in just 4 months is impressive and shows that compliance has remained high since introduction.”

James Hookham, from the Freight Transport Association, commented: “UK road freight operators have consistently argued that foreign-registered HGVs operating in the UK should contribute to their use of our roads. The HGV levy ensures this, and in so doing helps those domestic UK hauliers who are in direct competition with foreign carriers for loads.”

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