Fuel duty freeze proves that haulage voices can be heard
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,y Christopher Walton FAIRFUELUK (I,I,UK) founder Peter Carroll said the chancellor's decision last week to freeze fuel duty until next autumn is "proof positive" that "campaigning does work", as the group prepares to press its case further for a duty cut in the new year.
He thanked CM readers for their efforts in backing 1,I,UK's campaigning, which saw chancellor George Osborne say in his Autumn Statement that fuel would see "inflation-only rises" until September - effectively meaning the April 2013 increase has been deferred to 1 September 2013.
However, the fight will continue to convince the government and the Treasury that a cut, not a freeze, in duty would deliver long-term stability for hauliers and help revive the UK economy.
James Hookham, the Freight Transport Association MD of policy and communications, said that the campaign would "not let the issue go".
"January's rise would have cost a 10-vehicle freight operator about £14,000 - which could be one employee's wage," he said. "While we are relieved that the immediate danger has passed, in order to get the UK back on the road to economic recovery it is vital that we have a cut in fuel duty and a longterm strategy to prevent future rises and uncertainty."
Before the Autumn Statement, 1,I,UK had put forward the case, via a National Institute for Economic and Social Research report, that a 3ppl cut in fuel duty would create 70,000 jobs and boost GDP by 0.2%.