EU trucker green tax would create all-purpose slush fund: ESC

THE European Shippers Council (ESC) said it was "greatly disappointed" in the EU Council of Ministers of Transport decision to "shoe-horn" a pollution and noise tax on truckers.

What's more, said the shippers' lobby, the lack of provisions on how the money would be spent would allow member states to create a slush fund to finance whatever project they liked without reference to road transport.

"Without earmarking, member states are free to spend the revenue on whatever they like, totally unrelated to transport. How is that supposed to deliver 'greener' and more efficient freight transport?" said ESC secretary general Nicolette van der Jagt in a statement.

"The impact could be substantial for Europe's economy, particularly in those regions where there is no viable alternative to road freight transport," she said.

The ministers agreed to allow a maximum variation of the infrastructure charge of 175 per cent during a maximum five-hour period per day where member states could justify it on the basis of local congestion problems.

"The [ministerial] council is only looking at charging road freight and as yet cannot agree to deal with other modes of transport or passenger and private car use in the same way," said the ESC statement.

The ESC said the ministerial agreement is "wrong and will not have any significant difference on the environment. Instead, this will result in more expensive freight transport, which the rest of the economy will have to pay for".

Said Ms van der Jagt: "Industry does believe that tackling the problems of congestion, noise and road traffic accidents are important goals. But this is best achieved by tackling the causes of each rather than purely finding a cure for the symptoms once the damage is done."

ESC declared that the measure represents a lost opportunity to use the revenue to offer direct help to industry's own efforts to green itself.
(Source:www.schednet.com)