Bill will boost retail prices by 3d in £
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Retail prices will rise by an average of 3d in the pound if the road transport sections of the Transport Bill are approved by Parliament. This was stated on Monday by the Multiple Shops Federation, representing 40,000 shops. These price rises will be in addition to the effects of devaluation, the Budget and other increases.
The MSF has told all MPs that the Transport Bill, as amended by the Budget, will cause a sharp rise in distribution costs, while the average distribution costs of large-scale retailers will increase by between 61 and 81 per cent according to the type of goods involved. The new charges on transport in the Budget raise the increase to between 91 and 111 per cent, says the MSF statement.
The Federation calculates that Bill and Budget provisions will put between 1+ and 11 per cent on selling prices, and multiple retailers themselves face an increase of between £48m and £56m in their costs. An estimate for the whole of national retail distribution is about £200m—a prospect which the MSF regards as "disastrous".