Truckers hit France for cheap fuel
BRITISH hauliers are filling up their vehicles in France in a bid to avoid soaring diesel costs at home, losing the UK an estimated £1.2bn in tax every year, petrol retailers claimed yesterday.
Truck manufacturers are even building vehicles with bigger tanks so that drivers can fill-up with as much foreign, cheaper diesel as possible.
The diesel price has steadily risen and rather than just trucks it is now used in high performance cars thanks to improved technology.
With diesel costing up to £1.47 a litre in the UK, the companies are getting their fuel at an average of 20 per cent cheaper in places like Calais, according to the RMI Independent Petrol Retailers Association. Chairman Brian Madderson said: “This is another example of a government own goal. Its fuel policies are directly contributing to a reduced tax opportunity for the treasury.” The RMI estimates that the figures translates to £1.2bn lost in VAT for the treasury if all items bought in petrol stations are taken into account.