What price Labour?
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Tam 53 years old and I have supported the Labour Party all my life. On 1 May 1997 I shed tears of joy at the resounding success of my party But after nearly a year under this administration, things, as far as a haulier goes, have steadily got worse. Can't these politicians get it through their thick skulls that they are destroying the road haulage industry through extremely high levels of fuel duty?
Please don't insult our intelligence by saying that this is a green tax. It is just another back-door tax that is not being used as it should.
lithe Government is as concerned about green matters as they say they are, then why are ministers (and MPs) still riding about in "gas-guzzling" limousines and paying themselves motor mileage allowances that exceed the cost to us of doing one mile? By that I mean it costs hauliers (based on the lorry doing 7mpg) 43.81p/mile.
Unfortunately it is extremely hard to pass on the latest increase of fuel duty. A very strong anti-fueltax lobby has appeared with in the road haulage industry and it is growing daily. Two of my sons and eight other local hauliers mounted a goslow campaign on the MI. in Northamptonshire recently. In the words of the police it caused chaos.
It was only when Inspector Freeman of the Northamptonshire Police ordered his officers to warn us that we would be arrested if the campaign carried on that it was called off.
Were the same warnings given to the Countryside Campaigners when they brought the capital to a halt?
Please digest the context of this letter, Mr Blair. It is a sincere appeal to you to order your ministers to look at the fuel tax policy of your Government (I know that Kenneth Clarke started the ball rolling by putting up the duty by 5% above inflation—but did you have to continue this policy?).
Ten lorries in one small area of the country caused chaos; what would 100 or 1,000 lorries do?
We are a small family business running three 38tonne lorries and two vans. If you add all the fuel duty, road and insurance taxes together we are paying over £100,000 a year. Then there are our own tax and national insurance contributions. I have not included VAT in this as we claim back all payments on the inputs; but, at the end of each quarter, we pay approximately £6,000. This equates to another £24,000.
If you count all the taxes together, our family is paying in the region of £155,000 to the Treasury. If this Government continues with its fuel duty policy, it will destroy our family business and countless others.
Would Mr Blair and his New Labour Government really be proud of this? GA Donaldson, Finedon Bulk Haulage, Wellingborough, Northants.