Owner-operator group petitions Congress for 1-year HVUT suspension
Original article provided by: https://www.ccjdigital.com/ccj-daily-dispatch-aug-4-ooida-calls-for-hvut-suspension-as-part-of-virus-relief/
With the American Truck Dealers group and a bevy of other industry stakeholders urging a suspension of the federal excise tax on heavy trucks to offer relief for a variety of businesses from manufacturers and dealers to trucking companies and owner-operators, a new letter to congressional leadership from the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association has urged lawmakers to consider what might amount to a “much more immediate and equitable” source of relief for all trucking business owners. OOIDA proposed a suspension of the Heavy Vehicle Use Tax, most commonly $550 annually for a Class 8 over-the-road truck, for one year.
“While some trucking operations have been able to qualify for pandemic assistance” through SBA-led loan programs, wrote OOIDA President & CEO Todd Spencer, “many others have not been able to for one reason or another. Suspending the HVUT would bypass the complications of these programs and provide a simple way to make sure that all truckers get relief.”
Senate and House of Representatives leaders continue to debate various items that could make up yet another relief/stimulus package, following the House’s passage of a May package worth about $3 trillion. The legislative bodies have disagreed on some provisions, such as the extension of pandemic unemployment assistance benefits, which expired after Friday, July 31.
