§ Mr. Teddy TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what levies per metre are required to be paid by British passenger buses travelling in Germany; what is the purpose of these levies; to which authority they are paid; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. David Mitchell[holding answer 21 July 1988]: British coaches have to pay a levy of 0.7007 pfennigs per passenger kilometre for journeys made in the Federal Republic of Germany. The tax is collected by customs officials at the border. The aim is to impose on foreign operators a charge equivalent to the VAT levied on domestic passenger services.