UK NEWS
CUT PETROL DUTY TODAY
DEFIANT: Disruption in the capital is expected as the convoy passes through
By John Ingham, Transport Editor
PRESSURE is mounting on the Government for an immediate cut in fuel duty to ease the huge burden on motorists.
Two of Britain’s major motoring organisations yesterday backed the Daily Express crusade to force Gordon Brown to slash taxes on petrol and diesel.
Their calls come as thousands of protesters descend on London today in a mass demo against escalating fuel prices. Hundreds of truckers are bringing large parts of London to a halt with the biggest mass motoring protest since the 2000 fuel blockades.
Both the RAC Foundation and the AA yesterday endorsed our call for Mr Brown to shelve his planned 2p per litre rise in fuel duty for October.
AA spokesman Andrew Howard said: “Why put 2p on a litre to try to persuade people to use their cars less when, particularly if they are diesel drivers, they are spending 30p a litre more than a year ago anyway?”
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Lorry drivers parked on the A40 wave to passing motorists
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*** INFLATION WATCH: SEE THE DAILY EXPRESS COST OF LIVING INDEX ***
RAC Foundation senior spokeswoman Sheila Rainger said: “It is time to have a fundamental reappraisal of the fuel
duty regime. We would like to see a fuel duty stabiliser.”
Ms Rainger, whose organisation is an independent motoring charity separate from the RAC breakdown service, added: “When we get these huge rises in crude oil prices the motorist needs protection. With a stabiliser, the fuel duty would have to go down in proportion.”
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People just at this moment can’t afford it. They really are feeling the pinch.
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Labour MP Ronnie Campbell
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Labour MP Ronnie Campbell backed the view that raising fuel duty will only add to motorists’ burden.
He told BBC Radio 4’s World At One: “People just at this moment can’t afford it. They really are feeling the pinch. You have got to look at both sides of the argument but at the minute I would be thinking that the Chancellor should take the 2p off.”
*** GET A DAILY UPDATE ON THE COST OF LIVING IN THE DAILY EXPRESS NEWSPAPER ***
The pressure is intensifying on Mr Brown who is fighting for his political future, with Labour still reeling from the disastrous local elections and last week’s humiliating by-election rout.
Rising oil prices are threatening to trigger a worldwide recession which would further undermine Mr Brown’s premiership.
Last week crude oil hit a record high of $135 a barrel. In Britain diesel costs have risen by 34 per cent in the last year and by 15 per cent, or 14p per litre, in just the first five months of this year.
But despite the price rises, the Government is continuing to rake in 50.35p a litre on diesel and unleaded in taxes, plus 17.5 per cent in VAT on the price at the pumps.
Only last week accountancy firm Grant Thornton said the Government could cut fuel duty by 12p a litre thanks to the £730million tax windfall it has received from North Sea oil firms.
Among those hoping to take advantage of Mr Brown’s weak position are the truck protesters, who say they had been “overwhelmed” by pledges of support.
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SUPPORT: The AA and RAC back our fight over fuel prices
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After this morning’s rush-hour rally at Marble Arch – involving hundreds of trucks with a police convoy – a six-man delegation will march on Downing Street to seek “face-to-face” talks with Mr Brown.
They will hand him a letter that tells of their “total desperation” as they compete against foreign truckers who can buy fuel on the continent where duty is about 22p a litre lower.
The truckers want an Essential User Rebate of between 20p a litre and 25p a litre similar to the system offered to bus operators.
The letter says: “The high price of oil and the fact that UK fuel duty is the highest in Europe is driving us to the wall.
“We are pleading with you to introduce an Essential User Rebate so that we can at least compete with foreign hauliers. If we don’t get this rebate our firms will be destroyed.”
Protest organiser Peter Carroll, who runs a truck fleet from Maidstone in Kent, said: “Our intention is not to cause disruption, but everyone is finding it difficult with fuel prices. We hope commuters will bear any disruption because we are trying to make an important point.”
Meanwhile, a separate group of campaigners in North Yorkshire, including veterans of the 2000 fuel protests, has threatened to stop delivering to shops.
David Handley, of Farmers For Action, said: “If hauliers in North Yorkshire downed tools and refused to make their deliveries, that would make the Government take notice.
“The shops would soon start suffering from shortages and then the public would realise this is everyone’s fight.”
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Video 
GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT MINISTER PHILL WILLIS INTERVIEW BY KIRSTY WARK....DOES ANYONE KNOW THIS MAN?
27.05.08, 11:02pm
I'm watching an interview as I write this article between Kirsty Wark from newsnight and an environment minister by the name of Phill Willis....I just want to know where this person came from because he's no one that I've ever seen in government before?
Anyway the discussion is about the catastrophic stealth taxes that this government are putting on petrol prices and this pathetic excuse of a minister said that Kirsty was jousting with him and he just wouldn't and there was a lot of contradictions in what he was saying about the increase in road tax next april.....what is this world coming to when the very people that are here to protect our way of life just won't answer questions openly and honesty... I was under the impression that one of the minsterial values saying upholding integrity what I saw today was nothing of the kind it was shear vitreole and contempt to the British electorate!!!
May you all fall on your swords tenfold!
• Posted by: RealIstic08 • Report Comment
TRUCKERS SAN SAVE UP TO 40% DIESEL
27.05.08, 8:31pm
Fuel cells are well known and the HHO gas can potentially supplement £400 out of every £1000spent. Read more on a site I found. Tfuelcell.co.uk
Help truckers
• Posted by: Insite • Report Comment
CUT PETROL DUTY
27.05.08, 8:29pm
with most families going in to the red every month and the spiraling cost of living ,it wont be long before only the rich driving there cars leiusurely ,the rest of us will have to limit the number of journeys.this tax is a boost for browns government to sqander away ,it is nothing to do with being green as we only have to look at the number of houses built in already congested areas ,theres nothing green about building houses where the people spend more time in there cars due to overpopulated areas.the real truth is that labour has dug itself a very large hole of debt and by hook or by crook you are going to fill it and mr brown doesnt give a s**t if you have to walk to work or you cant afford to pay the mortgage unless you are a minority.
• Posted by: crazyhorse • Report Comment
REDUCE THE DUTY AS A PRIORITY.
27.05.08, 7:56pm
"Ghostdog" has only a tiny part of the story. When the enormous size and worldwide sales of the oil companies products are taken into account, and the truly enormous sums of money they invest - searching for new scources often loses fortunes- then in all fairness, the basic cost of petrol and diesel at the pumps is fair and not based on greed.The main culprits in the panic and greed game are speculators and governments. If the oil companies make huge profits then just consider their size and turnover of literally thousands of products. I'm not in any way connected to an oil company, but I can read - and analyse what it's all about, Alfie.
• Posted by: bluenote • Report Comment
DO NOT BLAME THE OIL COMPANIES
27.05.08, 7:52pm
Some writers here are completely off target when they blame the Oil companies for the current demise of the Truckers and the British car owner.
A gallon of diesel costs around £6 at the pumps. Out of that, our government extracts £5 in Duty and VAT. That leaves around £1 for the rest. Now think, who is the biggest gainer here?
Those 'extravagant' oil companies or HMG? Do you really have to think about it?
And where does this windfall tax on us go? Probably on government expenses such as Browns utterly pointless visit to the USA and his affinity to Quangos. Make the government cut its waste of taxpayers money first before we penalise those who explore the world for more oil.
• Posted by: Tiff • Report Comment
SMOKE AND MIRRORS
27.05.08, 7:15pm
In 1973, at a Bilderberg meeting in Sweden, the Bilderberg group agreed to raise the price of oil to $12 a barrel, a jump of 350% which caused chaos to the U.S. and Western European economies. It was to boost the flagging profits of the oil corporations. They're at it again, only for more sinister reasons.Inform yourselves, about the Bilderbergers, the Council on Foreign Relations and The Trilaterals.
• Posted by: ghostdog • Report Comment
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