- It's simply insane!
That's what owner Simon Ludvigsen from Døllefjelde
Machine Station says, after the Tax Agency has changed the machine stations' ability
to get diesel tax refunds.
The new practice means that the machine stations can only get refunds
for the part of the driving that takes place on the actual field, but not for the driving to
the field, between two fields, or from the field and home.
This means that tractor drivers now have to keep a meticulous
logbook of the driving, but they think it's outrageously bureaucratic.
- It's completely
crazy if they impose this. We already have plenty of office work as it is. But if we have ten tractors, we almost need three
people full-time in the office to do paperwork because of the rules. It's
just too much, this. It's
so far out, it's almost laughable, says Simon
Ludvigsen.
He points out that during
a working day, there will be quite a lot of things the tractor drivers need to register.
- You have to sit and register,
that "now I'm driving on the road", "now I'm not driving on the road", "now I'm driving on the road",
he says, adding that the number of kilometres driven doesn't
necessarily say anything about diesel consumption.
- Out on a straight road, it doesn't use nearly as much diesel as when we're ploughing or baling straw, he points out.
Completely insane
His colleague Jakob Aagaard, who owns Aagaards Maskinstation in Sakskøbing, shares the irritation.
- It's completely insane! How are we supposed to manage those logbooks? It's an administrative burden on top of the other administrative burdens that exist. They say they want to make it easier to run a business, but all we encounter is resistance. I think it's tragic, he says.
Jakob Aagaard adds that agriculture is used to it.
- For generations, agriculture has faced resistance and adapted, so we'll probably survive this too. But how it should be done in practice, I'm curious to see, because if you drive 50 loads of slurry in a day, it's very cumbersome to keep a logbook of it, he notes, adding that it can hardly be a significant revenue for the state treasury.
- They create a lot of dissatisfaction, but the effect won't be very significant, he predicts, referring to the fact that the Tax Agency will have to use a lot of resources on controlling relatively small amounts.
Can't be bothered anymore
The case has attracted attention, and Simon Ludvigsen from Døllefjelde says that on Wednesday he is going to a meeting in Jutland, where the case is on the agenda, and that the trade association for machine stations, Danske Maskinstationer & Entreprenører, has gotten involved in the case.
It is also under consideration by the Tax Council, which must decide whether the Tax Agency's practice is in order.
Simon Ludvigsen is hopeful that it will result in the Tax Agency changing its practice:
- It's things like this that make you say, I just can't be bothered anymore. The more of this kind of thing that comes up, the less desire there is to run a business.
