Budget 2021: Sunak extends HGV road user levy until 2023
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced that the HGV road user levy will be suspended until 2023.
It was initially suspended until August in 2022, but this will now be extended for a further year.
Speaking at the Budget, Sunak also revealed the government is freezing vehicle excise duty for HGVs.
The Road Haulage Association welcomed the news.
It argued that the measures would provide some relief for an embattled industry dealing with supply chain friction and driver shortages.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps will additionally roll out new funding to improve lorry parks.
He has already introduced temporary visas to try and manage the driver shortage.
Sunak warned that the economy was still recovering from the pandemic and this would compromise supply chains.
He said, “Having been shut down for almost a year, it takes time for factories to scale up production, for container ships to move goods to where demand is, for businesses to hire the people they need.”