Shippers in France have joined forces with road transport associations to try to stop a new tax they say will put France's competitiveness at risk.
The French parliament plans to extend a general tax on the polluting activities of trucks to the road transport sector, from January.
French manufacturers or importers that are responsible for the transport of goods to and from their sites in France will be liable for the TGAP tax. However the impact will be felt all along the supply chain.
A spokesman from shippers' group AUTF told IFW that the tax could add a minimum of 1% to transport costs in France if parliament agrees to the proposal.
He added that France would be the first EU country to introduce such a tax to the road transport sector.
The proposal took place without any prior consultation and the AUTF is now part of a lobby group hoping to put a stop to the proposal before it goes any further.
Besides AUTF, the lobby group includes road transport associations TLF, FNTR and Unostra, as well as industry bodies representing manufacturers and commerce.
AUTF insists the group supports the development of all modes of transport ¨C complementary to road transport - and supports the national target of reducing global emissions of CO2.
But it argues the tax will increase production costs and encourage France-based operators to shift their activities elsewhere.
"If a manufacturer in France starts charging a customer in the UK more for goods, then the customer will go elsewhere. If there is less activity, there is less transport," said the spokesman.
