More than 8,000 petitioners including hauliers, business owners, motorists and the general public have added their support to halt the tax hike that will leave industry footing a fuel bill that campaigners say will be a minimum of £375m.
The FairFuelUK campaign (www.fairfueluk.com) has the backing of both the Freight Transport Association (FTA) and the Road Haulage Association (RHA) and is being co-ordinated by Peter Carroll, the haulier behind the successful campaign that persuaded the last government to improve UK residency rights for retired Ghurkas.
Although the Office for Budgetary Responsibility has yet to announce its forecast for inflation, it is likely that the cost of fuel is going to rise by between 3p and 5p a litre on 1 April. A 3p rise will cost industry an extra £375m this year. A vehicle operator with a fleet of 10 heavy goods vehicles is likely to have to find another £14,000.
FTA managing director of policy James Hookham said: “The Fair Fuel UK campaign has clearly struck a chord with the national mood – the petition went from nought to 100 signatures in the first 60 seconds that the campaign was officially launched. Rocketing fuel prices have such a huge impact on businesses and motorists, but it is within the government’s gift to loosen the noose from around road users’ necks and give us all some breathing space.
“We have got off to a flying start but we still need much more support.”
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