Customs’ diesel checks will catch drivers who evade paying duty

By Joel de Woolfson

Senior Customs officer Adrian Hale, left, talks to J W Rihoy employee Sebastian Le Sauvage while Customs officer Jamie Edwards checks the vehicle’s fuel at Bulwer Avenue. (Picture by Adrian Miller, 0555378)

CUSTOMS officers began stop-checks yesterday testing vehicles to make sure drivers aren’t putting duty-free fuel in them.

In conjunction with the police, who were carrying out safety checks on heavy goods vehicles in Bulwer Avenue, Customs officers took the opportunity to test the fuel at the same time.

Following the abolition of motor tax and the increase in duty on petrol and introduction of duty on diesel, duty-free or low-duty fuel has been dyed. Fuel that is used for off-road vehicles such as agricultural is now dyed red and marine fuel is dyed blue to distinguish them from ordinary full duty road fuel.

‘Customs and Excise officers will be carrying out checks to ensure that dyed and marked duty, or low duty fuel is not used in road vehicles,’ said Rob Prow, chief officer at Customs.

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