The Increasing .Burdens Upon Commercial-vehicle Users. , • QTILL .another staggering
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blow, has been dealt k-7. against the usersof all classes of commercial vehicle and appliance in which petrOl'iS Utilized as fuel by the heavy general increaSe. in the Price of 'petrol announced on Mara 1st" by the distributors of this spirit and of benzole mix ture. • • There can be no .real justification for this measure, Prodiretion, is still ,greater than the demand and .is likely' to remain so for some considerable time to come. So. far as it is possible to ascertain, there have been no increases in the cost of refining and distribution, so that we are forced to the .conclusion that, .having . induced the 'competitive companies to come into line, the petrol combines are beginning to exercise a stranglehold.
The raising of the price is a long premeditated act, which has only been delayed until sufficient pressure could be brought to bear upon the independent supplters—even those concerned with Russian spirit.
Still more iniquitous and unjustifiable is the increase in the cost of fuels containing benzoic. To begin with, benzole is not subject to the tax recently imposed upon petrol, consequently tax is levied only upon the petrol content in the,, mixture, and yet the user has been forced to pay the full amount. Ben.F.ole is only excluded from taxation so that encourage/bent should be given to a home-produced fuel and as a reward for this encouragement the. user is not only, we reiterate, paying-the full tax, but is now to be burdened with the extra 21d. per gallon.
The owner of a private car is hit quite badly. enough and it must Be remembered that many private cars are used.for business purposes. The commercial-vehicle 'owner, however, .will suffer far more. It Is .easy for those' responsible to say : " Pas § the additional cost on to the traders whose goods are carried," but it must be borne in 'mind that nearly 80 per cent. of the vehicles are actually owned by traders, and, in the ease of a haulier, whilst it is -Maly too, easy to cut rates, as many have found to their grave disRdvaritage; to 'increase themis another matter altogether. cIT . • ,Efficient road transport is a vital necessity to this country, and such inflictions as these are bound to retard its growth to our national detriment.
The Chancellor made it evident last week that no substantial remission of taxation is to be expected. It is possible, however, that something may be done for the commercial vehicle between now and the date of the Budget, it being understood that the Conference of Motoring Organizations • will, An the Course of the next week or two, submit various proposals by. way of adjustment, and it is clear that the commercial-vehicle sections will press for a larger percentage reduction in the licence duties for vehicles on pneumatic tyres.