HMRC - Road Fuel Inspection Unit Van

HMRC - Road Fuel Inspection Unit Van

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This isn't really a question just an observation this morning on the way in to work. I seen a white transit labelled HM Revenue and Customs - Road Fuel Inspection Unit.

Does the tax saved on using red diesel actually warrant a police style van with flashing lights??
Raymond Carr

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By PAULGACC
11th Jan 2007 11:16

Very much a deterrent
Yes when you consider that large HGV's do on average 9 miles to the gallon there is a great deal of money to be saved by the haulier tempted to run on red or green diesel. The difference in price between red and white derv is huge due to the duty imposed on white derv and therefore could result in significant losses to HMRC if missused on a large scale. The fact the you saw this van demonstrates how HMRC try to be in highly visible locations which result in a far greater effect as a deterrent than the use of the van itself. After all using illegal diesel is just another form of tax evasion.

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By User deleted
11th Jan 2007 11:34
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By derwentdelivers
11th Jan 2007 13:18

Agreed
big business - yes thoroughly agree

i was just suprised actually seeing something being done like that by the Revenue. i am not sure if it would be a deterrent though as that is the only one i have seen or known about. does anyone know of affected clients being visited in England?

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By User deleted
11th Jan 2007 13:22

the red stuff
I was persuaded a year or two back to visit a car boot sale - the kids thought it was fun/exciting etc. Highlight of my day was seeing Customs drawing red stuff out of a couple of traders vans - clearly the traders had forgotton to buy blue dye off ebay.

Many years ago in Canada I was followed by police through a small town - couldnt work out why they had their lights flashing and were following me. I had aviation gasoline in the car - they tested a sample and were sure it wasn't road fuel, but neither could they see the farm gas colour - so bewildered they went on their way.

As to what aviation gasoline was doing in my car is another matter.

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By PAULGACC
11th Jan 2007 17:30

HMRC losses were £700m
HMRC did publish a paper several years ago saying that they were loosing £700m per year through this type of fraud and they had a target of reducing losses to £350m by March 2006. I dont recall seeing any publication to say whether or not they achieved this.

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By User deleted
11th Jan 2007 17:44

It happened to me 3 or 4 years ago
We were pulled off the M6 south of Carlisle in the (slightly) tatty transit I was driving at the time.

The operation involved 4 police cars, a police sergent, a vehicle examiner, and an officer from Customs and Excise, and they were pulling in commercial vehicles at random.

They checked the roadworthiness, the MOT, my licence and insurance certificate, whether I was carrying a load of stolen turkeys (it was just before Christmas), and dipped the tank.

What you might call a scatter gun approach.

Nowadays they'd probably have a mobile weighbridge on hand as well.

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