FFUK Campaigners go to Number 10

LONDON, July 12, 2011 -

- With Photo

Today, 12 July 2011, FairFuelUK
campaigners, led by Harlow MP Robert Halfon, and including the Road
Haulage Association and the Freight Transport Association,
delivered a letter to the Prime Minister at No 10 Downing
Street.

The letter, signed by Mr Halfon, pulled no punches.  “High
fuel taxes aren’t working”, said Mr Halfon. “Not only are our road
freight industries being crushed, but foreign road freight
operators continue to expand their operations in the UK at the
expense of domestic hauliers as their rates of duty are up to 24
pence per litre less than their British counterparts”.

Today’s lobbying exercise was to request Government
consideration for two proposals:

• To initiate an inquiry as to why pump prices do not fall when
  the price of oil decreases
• To abandon the inflationary duty rise planned for January 2012
  which will have the potential of adding 4 pence per litre to the
  price of fuel. If the cost of filling a tank becomes easier to
  bear, this could result in a higher tax revenue for the
  Treasury.

“Today has been about bringing the critical issue of rising fuel
prices to the very heart of government,” said FTA Chief Executive
Theo de Pencier. The cross party support we have amassed shows
there is a real political appetite for fuel tax reform and that
this is matched in constituencies around the country.

“Fuel is the biggest single cost for transport operators and
unless the government acts to relieve the pressure faced by
hauliers and other businesses we could be in danger of seeing more
redundancies and more insolvencies in this beleaguered sector.”

RHA Chief Executive Geoff Dunning added, “This is an issue that
we, as an industry have to keep fighting for. The effects of
an increase in fuel duty will have a catastrophic impact on the
economy and on an industry that is finally recovering from a
financial meltdown.

“We, together with FFUK, will continue to press the message home
until, quite literally, we as an industry see the penny drop.”

www.rha.uk.net

href="www.fairfueluk.com">www.fairfueluk.com

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For more details, contact : RHA Head of Media Relations, Kate Gibbs on Tel: +44(0)1932-838917 , Mob: +44(0)7979-531451 ; FTA Media Relations Manager, Liam Northfield on Tel: +44(0)1892-552255 , Mob: +44(0)7818-450525.; Peter Carroll, FairFuelUK , Mob: +44(0)7886-800755 ; Lynne Beaumont, FairFuelUK , Mob: +44(0)7885-940945