Readers of UK transport industry magazine appeal to Gordon Brown
14/09/05 The UK’s road transport industry has rallied behind a new campaign launched by our influential mouthpiece, Trucking magazine – which could offer relief to hauliers and give the government a way out of the current fuel crisis.
Future’s Trucking – the UK’s longest-running road transport magazine has launched a letter-writing campaign to encourage the government to cut duty on diesel for struggling hauliers. Trucking suggests introducing a new specially coloured diesel for the road-transport industry that carries a concessionary level of duty. Trucking also calls for the government to acknowledge its own involvement in the UK’s high fuel prices, rather than blaming crude oil producers.
The government itself has quietly ditched a plan for its own Lorry Road User Charge. The scheme promised reduced duty for road transport firms – seen by many as a state-backed support for the industry. Hauliers warn that without an imminent cut in duty, more businesses will fold.
Trucking’s “fair tax on fuel” campaign
• The Chancellor must acknowledge that the UK’s exorbitant fuel costs are not the responsibility of Opec. Our government’s high taxation through fuel duty and VAT are bringing the UK’s road transport industry to its knees.
• Make duty-reduced diesel available at the pump. Existing high-speed diesel pumps for trucks could be used to sell blue-dyed diesel – ONLY available to hauliers with a current operator’s licence.
As tensions increase across the UK, with scenes of panic buying of food and fuel, Trucking magazine is appealing to road transport professionals to join those already taking part in its letter-writing campaign, sending a specially prepared letter (in the current issue) directly to Gordon Brown. The magazine has a history of successfully lobbying the government for changes to road transport policy, having won a substantial reduction in lorry road tax in 2000, achieving tax refunds in some cases of up to £4,625 per truck.
Ivor Carroll is Editor of Trucking:
“I cannot condone blockading but I fully understand the sheer frustration and desperation of those who are taking their protest to this level. The Government so far refuses to listen on the issue of road-fuel duty and seems singularly unconcerned that its own irresponsibility is killing off haulage firms.”
“Any protestations by government that it would be either difficult or costly to introduce lower-duty diesel for road transport are a nonsense. The infrastructure to supply a specific diesel for heavy commercials already exists in the form of high-volume delivery pumps, fuel charge cards, operators’ licences and company bookkeeping.”
About Future
Future plc was founded in the UK in 1985. Today, it publishes over 150 special-interest consumer magazines worldwide with strong portfolios in the computing, games, music, automotive, sports, crafts and leisure sectors. It is the fifth largest magazine publisher in the UK. Future employs 1,450 people in offices in the UK, US, France and Italy. Over 100 international editions of Future’s magazines are also published under licence in 30 other countries across the world. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange (symbol FUTR).
For more information:
Will Guyatt, Media Relations Manager, 01225 822517.
