The headlines said that transport minister Stephen Ladyman wants to charge overseas trucks for using UK roads. Everyone in the industry would agree with that. But the story is not quite what it seems.

You will no doubt be amazed to know that the UK is apparently not free to set its own rate for this daily charge (or vignette). I asked Ladyman about this at a press conference and he said that under the Treaty of Rome the rate for the Eurovignette is set by Brussels. Can't we set our own rate? No, said the Minister.

I pointed out that if UK hauliers go to France, they have to pay tolls to use motorways and France is free to set its own motorway toll rate. But the Minister was not moved.
What it means is that the daily charge could be just £5.40 a day. The scheme is likely to raise about £40 million a year. UK operators will have the money refunded by reductions in VED. Despite the headlines, it may not happen because all Ladyman really announced was that a feasibility study is being commissioned.

But the real reason for this interest in a daily charge is to compile a register of overseas trucks coming into the UK, so that they can be sent a fine if they commit an offence over here. Again that sounds good but is VOSA really going to extract the money from overseas truck operators when they are back at base. It would be good if they could.

So the story is more complicated than it appears. It is remarkable that the UK cannot set its own rates for charging for the use of our motorways. Or maybe the Government is just not trying hard enough.

It is ironic that the UK is free to set the highest fuel duty rates in Europe, but when we want to charge for the use of our roads, we are limited to what Brussels says.