BAA director asks new UK business secretary to tackle Aggregates Levy

British Aggregates Association director Robert Durward has written to Sajid Javid MP, the new Secretary of State for Business, Innovation & Skills, urging him to take a personal interest in the long-standing issue of the UK Aggregates Levy. Having replaced Vince Cable as business secretary following the 2015 General Election, Javid has vowed to sweep away at least €14.03 billion (£10 billion) of red tape for companies during this parliament. In his letter, Mr Durward states that since its introduction
May 22, 2015 Read time: 2 mins

887 British Aggregates Association director Robert Durward has written to Sajid Javid MP, the new Secretary of State for Business, Innovation & Skills, urging him to take a personal interest in the long-standing issue of the UK Aggregates Levy.

Having replaced Vince Cable as business secretary following the 2015 General Election, Javid has vowed to sweep away at least €14.03 billion (£10 billion) of red tape for companies during this parliament.

In his letter, Mr Durward states that since its introduction by New Labour in 2002, the levy’s only impact had been to ‘distort competition’, ‘increase the margins of recyclers’ and ‘put a number of companies out of business’.

He went on to say how the BAA and two companies’ ongoing legal action against the levy was threatening to put ‘even more operators out of business’. The EU recently found that the shale exemption constituted illegal state aid, which means a number of companies are due to repay the aid back to 2002, together with compound interest.

Durward continues his letter saying: ‘The Conservative Party strongly opposed the levy and promised to repeal it if returned to power. Being in Coalition apparently didn’t count, but hopefully the matter will now be reviewed.’

The BAA director added that, as a primary industry, quarries add a great deal to the rural economy and should be helped rather than hindered. Durward concluded his letter by calling on the business secretary to take the matter up with Chancellor George Osborne, and offered to brief officials on the matter, which, he said, was ‘by no means straightforward’.

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