A typical 38 tonne truck will deliver more than £100 million
pounds worth of goods during its 10-year life, according to figures from SMMT.
In a new report called Who’s Tapping the Truck? SMMT shows the value that commercial
vehicles bring to society and their significant contribution to HM Treasury
through taxation.
While we all benefit from the goods trucks deliver, it’s the
Chancellor Gordon Brown who gains most from the vehicle itself. During the 10-year
life of a typical 38 tonne truck the Treasury takes almost 40 per cent of the
£597,176 generated through its running and operating costs.
Travelling 80,000 miles a year, it will use about 55,000 litres
of fuel, costing about £35,000. Some 80 per cent of that goes to the Chancellor
in fuel duty. Road tax (VED) last year cost £2,710, making a total of more than
£30,000 in tax revenue, per truck, year on year. With more than 40,000 two axle
38 tonne trucks on UK roads, that makes about £1.3 billion in tax take from
these vehicles alone.
SMMT chief executive Christopher Macgowan said, ‘It is road
transport that links the threads of modern society. Without the contribution
of trucks and other commercial vehicles the things we all take for granted would
disappear. They deliver everything from eggs and bacon to the components used
to make televisions and washing machines. While the Government continues to
take significant income from truck operators it must be warned not to tax them
out of business.’
At the end of last year there were more than half a million
heavy commercial vehicles on UK roads and more than 2.7 million light commercials.
VED from these vehicles alone topped £450 million in 2000.
Note to editors:
SMMT published Who’s milking the Motor Car? in May
2001. The report showed that a car generates more than five times its showroom
price during a nine-year life, with the government taking more than 23 per cent
of the income generated. Copies are available (from this web site)
