FTA's energetic plea
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A VIGOROUS call for an energy policy went out to the Government this week when Freight Transport Association director general Hugh Featherstone spoke in Liverpool.
He told members that the removal of the tax differential between petrol and dery was only a tiny step in the right direction. Every other EEC country, he said, gave dery a tax advantage which reflected diesel engines' 20 per cent greater efficiency.
"The Transport and Road Research Laboratory has shown that for light vans the advantage could be as great as 37 per cent," he added.
He was also critical of the Government's Budget plans to raise tax on liquid petroleum gas by 0.95p per litre. FTA wanted operators to be encouraged to change over from petrol or dery where possible.
Mr Featherstone also said that an effort should be made to encourage other users, such as those of heating oil, to get out of oil and use another fuel. "The Government should reserve precious oil for uses like transport for which there is no substitute".