Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Road Haulage and Freight Transport Groups Back Changes to Fuel Duty

Lobby Group Requests Chancellor to Think on Prices and Cleaner Fuels
Shipping News Feature
UK – FairFuel UK, the lobby organisation co-founded by Peter Carroll, himself a road haulage transport veteran, has continued its high profile policy of pressing government on the question of fuel duty, something Carroll, former advisor to Danny Alexander, and his associates Howard Cox motoring journalist Quentin Willson have previously proved very adept at. FairFuel UK receives active support from a long list of important logistics and transport industry stakeholders including the RHA, FTA, RAC, BAR and a host of others with less popular acronyms.

The latest tactic of the organisation, which boasts the support of over a million people and 20,000 road freight companies, is to write directly to the new Chancellor, copying in both the Prime Minister and Treasury Ministers to garner support for a reduction in fuel duty. The FairFuel UK letter appeals to Philip Hammond’s experience in the field of transport, he was formerly Secretary of State for Transport in the coalition government for 17 months and oversaw the plan to raise motorway speeds from 70 to 80mph, a scheme later dropped by his successor.

The letter goes on to request a reduction in fuel duty to 3 pence per litre, a VAT cut to 15% on fuels, the instigation of a body to monitor pump prices and even out the cost variations which it calls ‘a lottery’, and to introduce more incentives for motorists to move to cleaner fuels. The letter itself can be read in full here.

Photo: Not something you now see – a mobile filling station!