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UAE plans to impose road tax on trucks and buses

United Arab Emirates’ National Transport Authority is planning to impose road tax on trucks and buses crossing the borders of the UAE. The authority is considering charging US$26.65 per bus and about $1.33 per seat. For lorries, it is planning to charge $136.34 per trip for those carrying chemicals, food stuff, livestock and refrigerated goods, and an additional charge of $2.74 per tonne carried. Other trucks will be charged $26.60 per trip. The proposed tax has attracted strong protests from the governm
February 14, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
United Arab Emirates’ National Transport Authority is planning to impose road tax on trucks and buses crossing the borders of the UAE.

The authority is considering charging US$26.65 per bus and about $1.33 per seat. For lorries, it is planning to charge $136.34 per trip for those carrying chemicals, food stuff, livestock and refrigerated goods, and an additional charge of $2.74 per tonne carried. Other trucks will be charged $26.60 per trip.

The proposed tax has attracted strong protests from the governments of Saudi Arabia and Oman. Around 800,000 trucks cross between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, according to the Saudi Arabian government. Other countries like Turkey, Yemen, Syria and Lebanon are also expressing their dissatisfaction regarding the matter. These countries claim the lorry and bus road tax move will led to higher prices of main commodities imported from the UAE. The costs are likely to increase by 10%, according to retailers. The UAE authority had been planning to impose the tax since September 2013.

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