AT THE HEART OF THE ROAD TRANSPORT INDUSTRY.

Call our Sales Team on 0208 912 2120

High Tax Cuts Fuel Consumption

29th May 1953, Page 36
29th May 1953
Page 36
Page 36, 29th May 1953 — High Tax Cuts Fuel Consumption
Close
Noticed an error?
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.

Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

BRETAIN used more oil in 1952 than in any other year, according to figures just published by Petroleum Information Bureau on behalf of the U.K. Petroleum Industry Advisory Committee. Total consumption of al1 products last year was 17,520,145 tons (excluding bunkers for ships in the foreign trade), against 16,887,908 tons in 1951.

The principal items, -with 1952 consumption an parentheses, were motor spirit (5,440,552 tons), fuel oil (3,456,832 tons), gas/Diesel oil (1,641,362 tons), kerosene (1,443,173 tons) and oil fuel for road vehicles (1,180,440 tons).

Study of the details of individual products shows that the high rate of tax on road fuel-2s. 6d. per gallon— is affecting consumption. For the first time in history, apart from the war years, the use of motor spirit actually declined, as compared with the previous year, although there were in fact more motor vehicles on the road.

Deliveries to commercial consumers, at 1,947.824 tons, showed a reduction of over 2 per cent., and this more than offset the slight increase in deliveries to dealers, retailing to the general public, which amounted to 3,492,728 tons last year.

Consumption of oil fuel for road vehicles again increased, but the rate of advance (55,000 tons) was much less than that achieved in 1951, when consumption rose by 91,000 tons over 1950. This is another indication that the high rate of duty—approximately 200 per cent. on this fuel—is checking the natural growth in the consumption of fuels.

ROAD GRANT POLICY CHALLENGED

THE warranty for the statement that

I the country cannot afford additional funds for roads is challenged. It is not a well-founded theory, nor is it supported with facts. The reverse is the case. The country cannot afford not to make the roads adequate and sound," says the annual report of the Roads Improvement Association.

Permitted highway expenditure, it states, is hopelessly insufficient to make the roads safe, and is not enough to provide for even half the amount of maintenance and repair work done before the war.

Road accidents, which cost £140m. a year, are seriously weakening the country's capacity to compete for world trade and win profits.

DUNLOP SALES VALUE DROPS DEDUCTIONS in selling prices and 1' in the volume of goods sold caused the value of sales of the Dunlop group to fall last year by £34m. Sales totalled £250m. The ratio of profit to turnover fell from 6.5 per cent. to 4.7 per cent. before allowing for taxation, which reduced the respective figures to 1.9 per cent. and 2.2 per cent.


comments powered by Disqus