BAA challenges aggregates relief

The British Aggregates Association (BAA) has lodged a complaint with the European Commission (EC) against the UK government's proposed scheme for relief from the Aggregates Levy in Northern Ireland, as it believes the proposals may jeopardise its legal action against the levy.
This follows the government's request for state aid clearance from the EC for the new scheme, which the Treasury announced in last December's Pre-Budget Report and hopes to implement on 1 April.
BAA director Bob Durward said: "We recognise that our objection could delay or prevent the proposed new relief scheme in Northern Ireland, but we believe that continuing our legal challenge to the Levy, based on compelling evidence that it is not protecting the environment, and is in some ways harming the environment across the UK, is the best way to protect the interests of both the environment and independent quarry operators."
However, the Quarry Products Association Northern Ireland (QPANI) said it didn't think BAA's complaint would prevent the relief scheme from going through.
"The BAA can do what it wants - it's not going to upset the applecart," said Gordon Best, QPANI's regional manager.
"I do feel the BAA has hung its Northern Ireland members out to dry, but I can understand its predicament. The BAA has had to weigh up the interests of its members and has done what it feels is best," he added.
Durward replied: "The BAA is sympathetic to the very serious problems the Levy has caused for quarry operators in Northern Ireland. But we are concerned that most of these problems apply across the UK, and have not been properly addressed.
"The decision to submit a legal complaint was not taken lightly. The BAA has kept its members in Northern Ireland, and the QPANI, informed throughout," he added.
BAA executive officer Richard Bird told CJ that the BAA had not "hung our NI members out to dry". "We cannot jeopardise our legal action," he added.
"The BAA's legal team advised that the government's latest proposals may be illegal and recommended that the BAA lodges a complaint to the Commission requesting that it initiates a formal investigation procedure," explained Bird.
"I am convinced the action we have taken is the right action,"
he added.