Imported HGVs will attract a 22 per cent tariff under the government’s no-deal Brexit plan – a crippling burden for UK hauliers, the Road Haulage Association has warned.
A series of votes in the House of Commons on Wednesday (13th March) rejected a no-deal Brexit. Yesterday MPs voted to ask the EU for delay to the 29th March deadline.
Nevertheless, a no-deal Brexit remains the default position unless an alternative can be agreed.
Under the government plan for no-deal, there would be a ten per cent tariff on vehicles under five tonnes, but anything bigger would face a 22 per cent tariff.
RHA chief executive Richard Burnett said: “With the average price of a tractor unit with an engine rating of Euro VI starting at around £85,000, the prospect of paying over £100,000 for a new truck will, for many, make new vehicle acquisition almost impossible.”
Separately, the Freight Transport Association has warned that the no-deal plan would place businesses in Northern Ireland at a significant disadvantage because tariffs and controls would apply to goods exported to the Republic and EU, but there would be nothing similar imposed on competitor goods arriving in Northern Ireland.
Seamus Leheny, FTA policy manager for Northern Ireland, said: “This would understandably make NI goods less attractive to overseas buyers and have a knock-on impact on the country’s manufacturers and distributors – and when you consider that competitor goods from the EU will pay tariffs for market access to the UK market, it brings into question where the protection for NI’s industry actually lies.”
