No Cut in Fuel Tax
Page 35
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A N attempt to reduce the fuel tax
failed during a debate on the Finance Bill in the House of Commons on Tuesday. Three new clauses making different proposals were Put. forward.
One sought to exempt .oil-ingined buses and coaches from fuel tax. The second aimed at the remission Of duty on oil fuel used in all road vehicles. The third proposed a reductionof 6d. in the tax on both petrol and Oil fuel.
Speaking in support of discriffiination in favour of buses and dciaChea, Mr. Ernest Davies (Lab., Enfiekl E.) dismissed past arguments by the Treasury that to do _so wciuld be adrainistratiVely
impossible. He. andother nfetnbers stressed the difficulties facing bus Undertakings and the danger that more unremunerative services would -have U.> be withdrawn.
• For the Government, Mr. Nigel Birch replied that the cost of puttin4into effect the three proposals: ' would be LI 13m. He dfd not plead adirdnistrative difficulties in the way of exempting dery from tax, but said that it would be extremely costly and would stimulate the change-over from petrol to To discriminate in favour of bus undertakings would cost. £30m, and would make a difference to the public of less than one-third of a point of the cost of living index.
30 ORGANIZATIONS DISCUSS LOADING BANS
REPRESENTATIVES of more than 30 trade bodies were present at a meeting in London last Friday to discuss the likely effects of the proposed bans on loading and unloading in a number of outer and inner London boroughs put forward by the London and Home Counties Traffic Advisory Committee (see page 812).
Mr. S. I. Lamborn, chairman of the London and Home Counties Division of Traders' Road Transport Association, presided.
OBITUARY
WE regret to announce the deaths of VV MR. H. E. HANDS, Mr. S. G. GORRILL and MR. LAWRENCE D. BRowN.
Mr. Hands, who was 69, was chief engineer of Trojan, Ltd., and had been with the company for 27 years. • Mr. Gorrill was head of Gorrill's Ltd., and a past president of the National Tyre Distributors' Association. He was 67.
Mr. Brown, who was 56, operated 43 buses and coaches 4n Leicestershire under the-title." Browns Blue."
ROAD PROGRESS WATCHED QTUDYING progress in road 1,-, modernization, Mr. G. R. H. Nugent, J oin t Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport, yesterday completed a 250-mile tour of the Great North Road. He saw 25 improvement schemes, covering about 39 miles of the road, and inspected the sites of 14 more schemes, covering a further 29 miles, to be started this year.