Alok Sharma, the Member of Parliament for Reading West, today praised the Government for introducing the HGV Road User Levy Bill, which will bring in a new charge for foreign lorries using British roads.

The legislation being introduced fulfils a commitment in the Coalition Agreement and is designed to remove an inequality, whereby UK hauliers pay to use many roads abroad, but foreign-hauliers do not pay to use roads in the UK. The levy will be a maximum of £1,000 per year or £10 per day for the largest vehicles.

All HGV vehicles will pay the levy, but UK-registered vehicles paying the charge will receive a discount in their road tax, which will make the change cost neutral for them.

Following the Parliamentary debate Alok Sharma said: “This is an issue which has been raised by a number of my constituents who work in the haulage sector and I am pleased the government has acted. This new levy is about making things fair for UK businesses, which often have to pay to use European roads, whilst foreign lorries drive here for free. The levy will be a vital shot in the arm to the UK haulage industry and shows that the Government is on the side of British business.”