Section 87: Six Month Licence: Tractive Units
Summary
1.This section makes a six month vehicle licence available to combined transport goods vehicles, even though their annual rate of Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) will be below the £50 threshold that otherwise determines availability. This change is by amendment of the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 (VERA) with effect in relation to vehicle licences taken out on or after 1 April 2014.
Details of the Section
2.Subsection (1) maintains the availability of a six month vehicle licence where the applicable annual rate of VED exceeds £50, and introduces a new circumstance where a six month licence is available.
3.The new circumstance is if the vehicle is one that is used for the transportation of goods between European Union member States where part of that transport is in the United Kingdom and those goods are substantially transported by rail from the railhead that is nearest to the point of origin. Such a vehicle does not have to have an annual rate of VED in excess of £50 to qualify for a six month vehicle licence.
Background Note
4.VED rates for goods vehicles licensed in the United Kingdom are being reduced and restructured to offset the cost of HGV Road User Levy rates which will begin to take effect from 1 April 2014. The Levy only applies to goods vehicles weighing 12,000kg or more, and is intended to introduce a fairer arrangement for UK hauliers by ensuring that foreign hauliers pay to use roads in the UK.