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£84 TO FILL UP A FAMILY CAR UNDER LABOUR
OPPOSITION PARTIES PRESSED TO SUPPORT FAIR FUEL
Commenting on the Chancellor’s budget announcement that Labour will put 3p a litre extra on petrol prices,
North East Fife SNP have called on other parties to back the SNP’s proposal for a fuel duty regulator
which would stabilise fuel prices.
The SNP Group at Westminster have announced they will be introducing an amendment
to the coming budget bill for the introduction of a fuel duty regulator and challenged opposition parties to support its introduction
following their failure in previous budgets.
Rod Campbell, SNP prospective candidate for Fife North East said:
“Sky high fuel taxes imposed by Gordon Brown, and latterly Alistair Darling, are indiscriminate and effectively
a
poll tax on wheels.
“The AA may be warning that it will become commonplace for petrol to hit £1.20
a litre in the next few weeks but in many areas of Scotland this is already the reality and in my constituency the price
has already reached £1.25.
“It’s not just hauliers who suffer but ordinary families struggling
to run a car for normal use.
It now costs the best part of £100 to fill up a Ford Mondeo.
“The
effects of sky high fuel taxes also impact on prices in the stores with costs rising to deliver food
and other products
to the shops.”
Rod Campbell added:
“We all know that Labour has admitted
that they will yet again use fuel tax to hammer household motorists
and hauliers to pay for their bank bail out.
“However these latest figures from the AA confirm that Labour and Gordon Brown have learnt nothing
from
their years in government.
"However they can make amends by supporting the SNP’s call for a fuel duty
regulator.
Despite this measure having extensive industry support Labour voted against this fair fuel measure and the
Tories and LIbDems failed to support it. The coming budget gives them an opportunity to rectify that failure.
“An
oil rich nation like Scotland should be reaping the benefits from our offshore resources –
not
watching as North Sea revenues flow into a black hole in Treasury coffers while the Scottish budget
is
slashed.”
Notes:
1. A
graph showing how fast petrol prices are rising can be viewed here: http://www.whatgas.com/recent-petrol.aspx
2. With fuel at £1.20, the price of filling up a 2007 Ford Mondeo with a fuel tank capacity of 70 litres
is £84.00
3. Fuel Duty Regulator
The regulator mechanism is designed to guarantee a double protection
for motorists and the road haulage industry.
Firstly, higher oil prices would trigger an automatic freeze in fuel duty
rates.
Second, any extra cash raised from VAT on petrol or diesel as a result of the higher pump prices would go back
into an equivalent cut in fuel duty.
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