HMRC and European Commission vow to act under pressure from MBM
The British Government and European Commision have been kick-started into action by MBM after it was discovered that British boaters face huge fines for using red diesel in the Netherlands.
Boaters in the UK have been granted permission to fill up with red diesel until November 2008, but the Dutch Government says it has not been informed of this by either the European Union or the UK, and therefore considers red diesel’s use illegal.
A Dutch Customs spokesman told MBM: “We will keep fining British boaters until we get the message from the British Government that it will remain ok to fill up with red diesel in the UK until November next year.”
Upon learning of this, MBM immediately contacted the relevant authorities and received promises from both HM Revenue & Customs and the European Commission’s taxation department that steps would be taken to make sure British boaters would no longer be fined.
Advice from the EC is to keep all receipts and be prepared to challenge any fines “according to the national legislation in force in the Netherlands”.
MBM will keep monitoring the situation, and make sure HMRC and the EC get the message to the Dutch Government that it is perfectly legal, under EU rules, to use red diesel in Holland that was purchased legally in the UK.
For the full story, make sure you pick up July’s issue of MBM, which is out on 21 June.
