TRANSPORT Management 84

During an interview recently published in our guide “TRANSPORT & VAN in Belgium”appeared, Federal Minister of Mobility Jacqueline Galant not only came out very strongly, but also took positions that, to put it mildly, did not really correspond with those of her colleagues at the regional levels. She does not mince her words and emphasises that she does not see “how the kilometre charge would improve mobility in our country.” And she continues: “The tax will drive up the expenditure of companies, which will have consequences for the consumer.” Finally, she points to “the competition between the regions, more specifically in terms of the compensation granted by the federated entities to Belgian transport companies.” This competition “will cause companies in certain regions to suffer.” And what do you think? It is all the fault of Messrs Weyts (Flanders), Di Antonio (Wallonia) and Smet (Brussels) … The dissatisfaction of the transporters, culminating in the demonstration of 18 June in which 250 trucks occupied the streets of Brussels, is fully justified. For the employers' federations, this demonstration was a pure display of power. They were delighted with the large turnout, although – as is often the case in these kinds of situations – it was mainly the (very) small companies that showed up on the streets. The large transporters kept much more in the background. Too bad. And too bad that the unions did not join this action. ACV-Transcom did not hesitate for a moment to trumpet that it was not opposed to the kilometre tax in principle "because since it applies to both Belgians and foreigners, it can become a tool in the fight against social dumping". The art of contradiction in all its glory! That said, apart from the determination of the participants in the demonstration, what results can we actually expect from it? Let's be realistic right away: just because a number of demonstrators wore red hats (distributed by the UPTR), does not mean that the tax/levy will be abolished, following the example of the ecotax in France after the fierce Breton resistance. The Belgian political world has little room for manoeuvre, because Europe is opposed to any form of support for the sector. We will therefore have to be creative. On the Walloon side, there is talk of “mesurekes” (a reduction in road tax for vehicles of less than 12 tonnes, support for the renewal of “own” fleets, etc.). On the Flemish side, it remains quiet… except that there is thought of further expanding the paying network “if it appears that freight traffic is looking for alternative routes that are free”… The federations of the sector… their main demand concerns the exemption from RSZ for unproductive hours (waiting times during loading and unloading). Will this be met? That is far from certain.