Truckers Again Jam Major British Cities in Protest Against Taxes

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LONDON (AP) — Hundreds of trucks jammed London's Park Lane alongside Hyde Park and centers of seven other major cities Monday in a traffic-snarling protest against higher taxes on diesel fuel and heavy vehicle licenses.

The truckers, who say continental European rivals have lower operating costs, rumbled down four major highways leading into the capital, the M1, M2, M4 and M25, bringing traffic to halt along some stretches.

Protests also disrupted traffic in Scotland's two major cities, Edinburgh and Glasgow, in the northern cities of Newcastle, Middlesbrough and Manchester, and in Truro and Plymouth in the southwest of England.

The Labor Party government called the protest a form of blackmail, and argued that British haulage companies' overall costs were lower than those in Germany, France and the Netherlands.

"The public will not understand — and nor do I — why today some hauliers have decided to penalize, disrupt and inconvenience the public once again," Transport Minister John Reid said.

The protest was the second since last month, when the government in its annual budget hiked all gasoline taxes and increased the cost of a annual license of 40-ton, five-axle truck from 2,500 pounds (dlrs 4,000) to 5,750 pounds (dlrs 9,200).

Reid said the 40-tonner, which Britain has to admit under European Union regulations, did the equivalent in road damage and pollution of 10,000 cars.

He added that French, German and Dutch hauliers paid higher corporation, income and capital gains taxes, and had higher labor costs.