News - Page 2018

AT the Fleet News Drive event next week at Oulton Park, fleet decision-makers will have the chance to test drive one of the few 'green' cars that will qualify for both discounted Vehicle Excise Duty and accelerated capital allowances.

THE Chancellor has announced a cut of £55 in the Vehicle Excise Duty fee for the least polluting light commercial vehicles.

FLEETS eager to help staff speed their journeys to work and avoid congestion charges received a further indication that the Government sees motorcycles and scooters as part of the solution to urban congestion and pollution, according to the UK's motorcycle industry.

IF a week is a long time in politics, it now seems aeons since September 2000 when transport was at the top of the political agenda as the fuel protests brought Britain to a standstill.

Frost & Sullivan project manager Miranda Carpenter looks at a new generation of toll charging systems in Europe which could have dramatic implications for fleet operators.

Mazda chief executive officer Mark Fields is to replace Wolfgang Reitzle as head of Ford's Premier Automotive Group.<

GENERAL Motors was this week expecting to sign a $400m (£277m) deal part-funded by one of its alliance partners to acquire a controlling 67% stake in Daewoo Motor.

MAZDA chief executive officer Mark Fields is to replace Wolfgang Reitzle as head of Ford's Premier Automotive Group.

FLEETS were given some respite from worrying about their fuel bills for the year ahead in Chancellor Gordon Brown's latest Budget.

THE global head of BMW has welcomed Government's decision to make hydrogen fuels exempt from fuel duty for the forseeable future.

GREENERGY, a UK supplier of commercially available biodiesel, has welcomed the Government's move to impose a duty on the renewable fuel of 20p per litre less than ultra-low sulphur diesel.

THE liquefied petroleum gas industry claims Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown missed an opportunity to create a bigger incentive for company car drivers to choose gas-powered vehicles.

EMPLOYEES will no longer have to pay tax for taking advantage of subsidised, employer-sponsored buses to work.

A NEW system of fuel scale charges has muddied the water for fleets considering whether or not to scrap the perk of providing company car drivers with free fuel for private motoring.

CUSTOMS & Excise has announced new VAT rates for employers to apply if they give company car drivers free fuel for private motoring.

FLEET suppliers are expecting a flood of enquiries from companies looking for help in gauging the effect of the proposed new fuel scale charge system.

'Most of the changes in the Budget have been described in Fleet News and for many fleet people there will have been no great surprises. The only change of any significance is the way the fuel scale charge will work in the future.'

SMALL fleets have received a tax bonus from the Government, following the Chancellor of the Exchequer's decision to reduce the corporation tax starting rate from 10% to zero for companies with taxable profits below £10,000.

BUDGET measures aimed at promoting the use of environmentally-friendly vehicles could encourage companies to investigate 'green' fleets.

MINI general manager Trevor Houghton-Berry explains why the supermini is set to be a star in the used market.

Outsourcing has been a phrase hanging over the heads of fleet managers for many years as an apparent threat to their futures. But does outsourcing fleet management mean there is no need for an in-house fleet manager?

A NEW no-frills contract hire company has been launched which specialises in contracts of between six and 18 months.

MID-market power players are a new force in car leasing that will threaten the dominance of larger rivals, a contract hire chief has forecast. Speaking at the Leasing Life conference, CitiCapital Fleet managing director Colin Tourick, claimed 'the big boys could be getting too big.'

TOM Parker, the pneumatics and hydraulics firm, has ordered a fleet of 15 LPG vehicles as part of a green drive. The firm ordered the vehicles through Cameron Clarke Leasing, based in Lancashire, which is a member of the Lex Vehicle Partners network.

Congestion charging and a need to return to fun motoring are behind a growing band of fleet drivers opting for two wheels instead of four, which has prompted new ventures in the leasing industry to meet expected demand.

FLEET managers could help staff reduce their tax bills and provide them 'two vehicles for the price of one' by opting for two-wheeled motoring.

SCAFFOLDING firm Deborah Services has awarded a £1 million vehicle supply contract to JCT 600 Contracts.

THE park ranger service of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority has renewed a fleet supply contract with Vauxhall MasterHire worth £160,000.

ACT summer conference and AGM to be held in Nottingham in June.

National Car Rental has appointed Anoushka Drexhage as its new director of business travel for Europe, Middle East and Africa.