Today hauliers nationwide are leading a protest against the increase in petrol prices which have been prompted by the surge in worldwide oil prices to record levels.
Petrol prices in and around Weston-super-Mare are pretty much in line with the national average, unlike many south west towns, where the price per litre is higher still. However, since January, local petrol prices have on average risen by 8% for unleaded and 14% for diesel.
When you take into account the fact that oil companies have continued to make enormous profits running into billions of pounds and the Government continues to take around 60% of the at the pump price in tax – it is difficult to see how such continued pressure on motorists can be justified.
We have not seen improvements in public transport locally. Nothing has been done to make commuting to work easier and little to create local jobs to diminish the need for thousands of Westonians to out-commute in the first place.
The Government needs to continue its efforts to increase oil supplies and reduce crude prices – but it cannot hide behind international factors indefinitely. They must also take a lead and show that they are hearing the legitimate concerns of people across the country. The proposed 2p increase in fuel tax due later this year must be cancelled.
The oil companies must be made to share their profits with motorists through reductions in fuel prices at the pump and the Government must show that the taxes they take from motorists are truly being used to improve public transport and protect our environment.
1 response so far ↓
wit and wisdom // May 27, 2008 at 2:08 pm |
Can’t hauliers simply increase their prices, forcing their users to pass on the cost to consumers? That would surely be a more sustainable and market driven way to address demand while still addressing the urgent problem of climate change.
It’s clear that the oil companies are coining it in – they can as they have something we all want and there is insatiable demand globally. However, it’s hard to see what any government can do to address this beyond starting now to think about a post-oil world. If they did that and assured people that the extra money raised from fuel would go into this project it might sweeten the pill.
Simple cuts in fuel duty are going to do very little and are a demand the hauliers are hiding behind to avoid the real question of how their industry modernises and responds to reduced oil supplies.
There is also the blindingly obvious need to use the railways – and a rejuvenated canal system – to transport the great majority of our goods, relying on smaller 7.5t lorries and vans to deliver them at each end. There coiuld be a lot of jobs and investment across the country in setting up regional supply centres around rail (and canal) hubs but it would require a bit of initiative from government and major businesses, such as supermarket leviathans.
We can’t just cut fuel taxes short term, we need to think about the consequences.