THE Treasury is expected to make its first major announcement on the implementation of a carbon dioxide-based graduated Vehicle Excise Duty system - announced in this year's March Budget - on Monday.

Working with the Department of the Environment, Transport and Regions, the Treasury has promised to give fleets some form of guidance on how the system, likely to come into force with next year's September 1 registration change, will work. A spokesman for the Treasury said: 'Don't expect a list of thresholds, prices and CO2 limits, but by next week we will be in a position to give some guidance on how the new VED system will work.'

The announcement comes in the nick of time after a series of warnings from the fleet industry that unless a system was announced within the next few weeks, the Government's bid to implement the scheme would

collapse.