Feel-bad factor
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T wrote to your column in Irespect of "Fartner or Haulier" (CM 9-15 November) and touched on the suicidal tendencies of our Government over fuel tax and its efforts to put hauliers out of business.
I could not have envisaged just how far the Government would go down this line—it has just announced a Budget increase of practically 16p per gallon. It probably thought the metric equivalent of 3.5p per litre would not attract so much attention.
Is this action meant to give us a "feel-good factor" or help small businesses, which many hauliers are?
The other question that has to be asked is, "who is going to pay for the increase?" I can't see the extra cost being passed on to the end user or the "big boys" at the end of the chain—most of it will be met by the haulier. In such a depressed industry, why pressurise operators to cut corners when we are working towards improving standards and public perceptions of our industry?
Carl Stephens Grimsby