Behind the Brylcreem and banter
lurks a serious bloke. Last month, Quentin Willson of the FairFuel UK campaign
met with Chief Secretary to the Treasury,
Danny Alexander MP, to discuss the impact of fuel duty on the economy.
Over the past six years, the price of
petrol/diesel in the UK has risen by 60% and there is another price rise due in
January 2013. Although the planned increase of 3p per litre doesn’t sound too
bad compared to pump prices of £1.30 to £1.40 (current average!) it sounds a
lot worse when you realise that equates to an increase of 16 pence per gallon.
A more relevant figure since most of us still work with ‘mpg’ figures.
Anyway, to put these figures in
perspective, nearly 60% of fuel cost is tax.
And it’s not just the personal
costs of our own private fuel, every penny added to fuel duty adds £500 per
year to the cost of running a truck. So why should that bother us?
Inevitably these price rises are passed
on which means dearer bread and beans, coats and shoes, bricks and cement, plus
everything else that is carried on the back of a truck or inside a van.
If Britain is to get out of this
economic mess we need a bit of help. More carrot and less stick. Fuel tax is
not just a tax on transport it is an additional tax on business, welfare and
life. It also affects bus and train fares and ambulance and fire engine running
costs. There is no escape, unless we get on our bikes.
So far, nearly 350,000 people
have signed up to the FairFuel UK campaign on their website which is full of
fascinating facts and their latest actions to lobby Government ministers.
There is also a section designed
to help you support their campaign by contacting your local MP directly. And if you don’t know who your MP is, it even
tells you!
Buses get a huge rebate on diesel fuel tax John - and trains use 'red' diesel with very little tax attached. Roy
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