THE British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association has pledged to work with the new Labour Government, not against it. But secretary general Norman Donkin raised concerns over the lack of detail in Labour's transport policy, outlined in its 'Consensus for Change' document.

'They have made it clear they are not going to increase income tax, but they have made a lot of pledges to do things for the NHS to the environment, and they will need to raise substantial revenues from somewhere,' said Donkin. 'So they will look at many different allowances, exemptions and restrictions, and what I fear is an attack on the corporate sector because the economy is booming, and it's an easy target.'

A change in the VAT treatment of new cars, or even a luxury rate of taxation on gas guzzlers, could further damage the company car market, according to Donkin, who added that Labour has already intimated its plans to address the whole area of VED, in a move to penalise cars with high fuel consumption and reward more economical models.