Foreign hauliers hit by new charge

KEVIN MAYHEW THE CROSS border road freight industry serving Namibia was hit with another cost on April 1 - the introduction of the Mass Distance Charges by the Road Fund Administration (RFA). The charges are calculated according to the tare of vehicles in kilograms (vehicles exceeding 3000kgs and trailers over 2000kgs). They are to be paid by foreign heavy vehicles entering Namibia. Charges were introduced at N$7 per hundred kilometers and at N$6.80 for trailers and will be reviewed each year. The funds raised are expected to pay a greater share of the annual financial requirement to maintain and expand Namibia’s roads which are generally regarded as the best in the SADC region.