FairFuelUK campaign will not answer our problems
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WITH REFERENCE to the FairFuel campaign that is under way (CM 27 January), I will not be supporting it, and will not be forwarding funds to ight it.
I am wary of people doing something for others for no gain for themselves. Although I sympathise with many that fuel prices are high, particularly for the road haulage industry, and are becoming dificult to afford, there are wider issues at stake that must also be considered.
Every government in the world is faced with the dilemma of what to tax highly and what to tax at lower levels. But the end result is the same, the money has to come in from somewhere.
The UK infrastructure is failing to cope with a vast number of vehicles, and if we look to the future, Britain will become an island of tarmac. Road surfaces are in decline and lots of money is needed to cover repairs.
If this government is a good one, then it should press forward and insist (through the EU) that foreign trucks using our roads pay appropriately. Addressing this issue will bring in much-needed revenue, providing the basis for investment and making a start on sorting out transport. It may even provide revenue to enable an essential user rebate.
Everyday supplies must never fail to get through, and those involved in their carriage must get this rebate, providing a targeted payment for necessary transport as opposed to a blanket refund for all. Contrary to what most seem to think, we will not beneit and will instead cause destruction by ighting the tax on fuel. The government will simply shift tax onto something else.
George Petrie Dover Ed’s note: George, thanks very much for your letter. We agree with your points about foreign trucks on UK roads. However, such a system could take up to ive years to implement – any beneit will be felt way down the line. FairFuelUK’s key aim is to prevent the April duty increase – a cost hike that impacts operators immediately. The government may still prise the tax that it wants out of UK plc through other means, but almost certainly those means won’t deliver immediate and constant pain the way the fuel duty escalator does.