Thomas Tugendhat Chair, Foreign Affairs Committee, Chair, Foreign Affairs Committee
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many local authorities have (a) offered structural payment plans and (b) provided three month delays to payments for annual taxi licence renewals since March 2020.
(Citation: HC Deb, 28 October 2020, cW)
Rachel Maclean Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport has encouraged all licensing authorities to consider ways in which they can support the trade to continue to operate and provide essential travel. Any measures that authorities elect to introduce are a matter for them. The Department does not hold any data on payment plans or payment deferrals offered by licensing authorities.
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Thomas Tugendhat Chair, Foreign Affairs Committee, Chair, Foreign Affairs Committee
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had with independent taxi operators on reducing VAT to five per cent.
(Citation: HC Deb, 28 October 2020, cW)
Jesse Norman The Financial Secretary to the Treasury
The current structure of VAT rates raises a significant amount of revenue for the Government, raising over £130 billion in 2018/19. This plays an important part in funding the Government's spending priorities including hospitals, schools, and defence.
Changes to the current rate of VAT on the transport service provided by independent taxi operators would come at a cost to the Exchequer, and that cost would have to be balanced by increased taxes elsewhere, or reductions in public spending. Although the Government keeps all taxes under review, the Government has no current plans to change the VAT treatment of such goods.
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BLACKPOOL
For those residents without a car, taxis are a much needed lifeline around the resort, whether it is for a vital appointment at the doctors or just for bringing back the weekly shop.
However demand for taxis has once again nosedived after Blackpool was put into the Government’s Tier 3 regulations earlier this month.
Three of the biggest firms on the Fylde coast, Premier Taxis, C Cabs and Whiteside Taxis, have all reported noticeable drops in demand.
John Cutler, managing director of Premier Taxis, based on Lytham Road, said the firm experienced a massive drop in trade ‘beyond expectations’ which led to a lot of drivers leaving or self-isolating.
John said: “Then of course we had the bounce back which was beyond anything I’ve seen in the past 30 years. For a couple of weeks the hotels were full and everything was great again but we didn’t have the drivers that we had previously.
“It’s thanks to the local people, who we base the business on, for their support throughout this difficult period. It has ensured that we’re going to get through this thing, although we have incurred huge losses. I don’t want to really discuss the amount, but they’re huge.”
He explained how the taxi company is trying to rebuild but said it has had little support to do so
John said: “We are looking to the future and rebuilding effectively. That’s what we intend to do, we don’t think we’ve had the support we could have had, very little support in fact but we don’t want to think it’s all doom and gloom.
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GATWICK taxi drivers are to protest against Uber claiming the app is causing them financial hardship.
Campaigners are calling for action over the amount of London-based Uber vehicles in and around Gatwick and Crawley.
They are holding a rally on Saturday, October 31, to call on Crawley Borough Council to step up the pressure on Transport for London and Uber, to limit the operations of London licensed vehicles in Sussex.
One taxi driver, Zak Ben said: "As taxi drivers we are embedded in the fabric of our communities.
"From business professionals to school mums, there isn’t anyone we don’t pick up and we know our town is struggling right now.
"We can’t afford to allow a multinational to take much needed business out of our local economy, it’s not on.”
Campaigners believe the silicon valley giant is causing hardship for local drivers whose livelihoods have already been hit by the Coronavirus pandemic.
A total of 800 local taxi drivers have signed a petition demanding action to rein in the activities of London based Uber vehicles.
On October 31, Uber is ceasing its operation from a designated waiting area within the Beehive lane industrial estate near Crawley.
There is now a great deal of uncertainty about where hundreds of Uber vehicles will move to.
Unite regional officer Jamie Major said it is wrong for a "a giant multinational with a controversial track record to damage local employment".
He explained: "Crawley's economic dependence on Gatwick airport means the town is being badly affected by the Coronavirus crisis.
"Local taxi and private hire drivers are launching a campaign to ensure Crawley Borough Council and other local councils pile the pressure on Transport for London and Uber to restrict London based Uber vehicles from picking up fares around Gatwick and Crawley.
"The drivers are calling for a fair and level playing field.
"It’s wrong for a giant multinational with a controversial track record to damage local employment. We urge the councils to take action to support the economy in and around Gatwick and Crawley."
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Chinese internet search giant Baidu has launched a self-driving taxi service in Beijing, the first company to carry passengers in autonomous vehicles in the capital.
With a fleet of 40 vehicles, the Apollo Go Robotaxi service covers a road network of about 700km as an autonomous driving test area. It has established nearly 100 pick-up and drop-off stations in residential and business areas in the Yizhuang area, Haidian and Shunyi districts of Beijing.
Passengers in Beijing can now hail autonomous cabs free of charge via Baidu Maps or Apollo Go apps without advance reservation.
The move has come after the Beijing-based tech giant opened its robotaxi service to the public in Cangzhou, Hebei province, in August – the first robotaxi coverage to a city's downtown area.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/taxi-wheres-the-driver/XG652QDKUGILJKTARQC5N66ANY/
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