Baa Takes Government To Court Over Aggregate Tax

The British Aggregate Association (BAA) has taken the UK government to court, to have the Aggregates Levy declared illegal. BAA members voted 10:1 in favour of legal action, and also received support from non-member quarry operators. BAA claims the charge of £1.60/tonne of commercially produced aggregate is illegal state aid for products such as clay and slate waste, which are not subjected to the tax and yet compete with aggregates. Several issues regarding the levy need to be resolved before the tax can come into effect. These include: the legal definition of a "taxable tonne"; which aggregates are affected by the levy and which are not; problems with the registration of sites; and unresolved issues relating to long term contracts.