London, UK: The RHA is calling again for an essential user rebate for hauliers as diesel prices continue to soar.
The association is asking for a 15p per litre rebate, arguing that the move would “help to control inflation because haulage costs are being passed on to customers”.
At the same time the AA is calling for a further 10p per litre cut in fuel duty and the introduction of a ‘fuel price stabiliser’ which would see the rate lowered when fuel prices rise, and increased when prices fall.
The RAC also wants to see the government take drastic action. RAC fuel spokesperson Simon Williams said: “More radical government intervention is urgently needed, whether that’s in the form of a further reduction in fuel duty or a VAT cut.
The RAC stressed that 46% of the price of fuel in the UK is made up of VAT and fuel duty.
Haulier Pete White of Whites Transport Services took to Facebook to write: “We simply cannot sustain the outrageous fuel prices and the greedy government must step in.”
White suggested a ‘Park Up’ campaign for hauliers. “We only need to park them (lorries) up to bring the country to a standstill. But it will only work with massive support. The big hauliers have to get involved as well. We keep complaining but we don’t do anything. It’s time to do something.”
The government cut fuel duty by 5p per litre in March but prices have continued to climb since then and the Treasury has so far refused to help drivers further, despite calls for fuel duty to be cut further and for VAT on fuel to be reduced.
