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Scottish firms in fuel duty plea

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Published Date: 21 January 2008
By rhianon edward
SCOTTISH Chambers of Commerce joined hundreds of businesses across the UK yesterday to urge the government to scrap a planned 2p a litre increase in fuel duty from April.
A letter to the Chancellor Alistair Darling, signed by 400 businessmen and women, warned British hauliers are finding it increasingly difficult to compete with their European rivals because of the level of fuel taxes in this country.

"The new rise
will only compound the problems, with many smaller hauliers likely to be the worst hit as they will find it difficult to pass on the extra cost to customers," the letter stated. "The logistics industry is critical to the UK economy yet the tax system is making British hauliers uncompetitive.

"We are alarmed by the signals that the Government appears to be sending to such a crucial industry at a time when the economy appears to be stalling.

"As an immediate measure, we urge you to scrap the 2p increase scheduled for this April," added the letter, which warned that the price increase could cost the haulage industry £170 million.

Liz Cameron, chief executive of Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said: "The message being sent from government to our logistics industry is particularly worrying.

"The ability for hauliers to compete with other European firms is looking increasingly threatened, especially considering the UK economy faces a slowdown in 2008.

"The government must urgently reconsider this unnecessary rise in fuel tax to protect hauliers and businesses who use the roads on a daily basis. This is yet another tax which further erodes our international competitiveness."



Page 1 of 1

  • Last Updated: 20 January 2008 9:45 PM
  • Source: The Scotsman
  • Location: Edinburgh
 
1

truthsleuth,

South of the border 21/01/2008 01:00:13
The chancellor should ignore this special pleading after all if the 2p is kept tax revenue will flow to the treasury and mean that this revenue will not need to be recouped from elsewhere.
In the case of hauliers they have had it much to easy for the past 2 decades or more with this government REDUCING tax on HGV even thouigh they have never paid their full road costs since the 1970s if not even before then.
2

Guga II,

Rockall 21/01/2008 01:38:51
Never mind the hauliers, the cost of fuel, particularly the high percentage of tax on it, is costing everyone a lot more money. In the remote and rural areas, the high cost of fuel results in a far higher cost of living as the price of everything is increased.

What is Maggie Broon doing with all this extra money he is stealing from taxpayers? Is he trying deliberately to depopulate the Highlands and Islands? Even his heroine Maggie Thatcher wasn't as bad as he is for this blatant robbery of the people.
3

Alternative (High Octane) Fuel Head,

Edinburgh 21/01/2008 09:16:33
Truthslueth, you are missing the point completely. Rises in fuel costs mean EVERYONE ends up paying, not just those with cars.

Do you really believe that haulage companies will absorb these costs themselves? Of course they won't. they will pass it on to their clients, who will in turn pass it on to their customers, who (guess what) will pass it on to the public in the form of increased prices in shops.

Fuel duty in this country is criminally high and should be immediately cut---to the tune of at least 50%.
4

the_figures_are _fudged,

Galashiels 21/01/2008 10:11:16
We are overtaxed.

For our tax money what do we recieve ?

Rural areas are among the most disadvantaged in the country already, where is MIA Wendy on this one ?
5

ddmc,

21/01/2008 12:36:20
stuck £20 worth of diesel in the tank & got 18.6 litres

but inflation is only 2.1% who's kidding who
6

Jay Kay,

Burntisland 21/01/2008 15:25:26
LISTEN IF YOU ALL WANT TO GO GREEN TYPE IN WATER POWERED CAR INTO U-TUBE AND SEE WHAT YOU GET, the governments of the world all know that petrol and diesel are huge cons, the biggest con ever to be perputrated by any government, Gordon Broon and Co all know it, go and watch for yourselves
7

joppa jock,

Huntingdon 21/01/2008 19:42:49
It might be an interesting exercise if fuel companies marked their tankers with a line to show the government share. It would have to be moveable though for every penny at the pumps increases the vat level even further. At the present rate it will soon be a few inches behind the driver's head.
8

Van (not white) Diesel,

Amsterdam & Augsburg 21/01/2008 23:07:17
This article has as much merit as that headed, 'Pledge to reclaim Scottish history for our children', except that the latter is attracting much more attention, as it has more appeal to the claymore waving fraternity, and to the poor Unionists (and displaced Ingleses) who do not have a political party to back them up.
The extortionate price of fuel is a massive millstone around the neck of the Scottish economy, and I strongly suspect that our beloved PM, more than most others, is fully aware of this undeniable fact. What does he do about it? Absolutely nothing.

 

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