TORY bigwigs in Kent say they are pleased the Government is using their idea of taxing foreign lorries which come into Britain.

Last September, Kent County Council (KCC) appealed to the Government for a vignette disc, costing £750 for foreign drivers and similar to the one used on the continent.

The "Brit Disc" would help British haulage companies compete on level terms with their foreign competitors. At the moment, British lorries pay to enter the continent but their rivals do not have to pay to come into Britain.

The Kent proposals were accepted by the Local Government Association. Consultation on two schemes will now go ahead. One scheme requires lorry drivers to buy the vignette and the second would use satellite technology to track lorries for the distance they travel and charge them.

KCC leader Sandy Bruce-Lockhart said: "Kent suffers more than anywhere else from the impact of trucks on the county's roads.

"The county council's "Brit Disc" idea would give our haulage industry a boost. We look forward to the money raised being recycled into Kent and other port-of-entry countries."

December 6, 2001 9:58