Thousands of tradespeople could be caught out by Jeremy Hunt’s ‘transit tax’ on vans

THOUSANDS of tradespeople will be caught out by Jeremy Hunt’s sneaky “Transit tax” raid on vans, a survey reveals.

Three in five white van drivers were unaware of a rise in the van benefit charge quietly announced in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement.

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Basic rate taxpayers must pay an extra £72 a year to £720 from April if they use vans for private use — while higher-rate taxpayers face a £144 hit, AutoTrader’s poll shows.

Tory MP Greg Smith said: “Van drivers are the backbone of our economy – be it trades like builders and plumbers or delivery drivers and so much more.

“If we want the economy to grow, the answer can never be to clobber them with more and more taxes.”

An Auto Trader spokesman said: “Our findings show that the new fresh tax raid coming their way in April will be a complete shock to most van drivers, adding to the heavy burden that they’ve already faced this year.

“It might even be the straw that breaks the camel’s back for many of them.”

The Treasury said: “Drivers who only use their vans for business are not subject to the Van Benefit Charge because it only applies to private use.

“Those who do pay it will not see a real-terms increase next year.

“The £2.4billion fuel duty cut saves van drivers around £200 each.”