The Chancellor George Osbourne today announced in his 2012 budget that the planned August fuel duty rise would go ahead.
Hauliers and road users are already paying record prices and this devastating announcement is deemed as a major blow to an industry already on its knees.
Road Haulage Association chief executive Geoff Dunning said: “The Chancellor’s decision to go ahead with this rise is not only disappointing, the reason behind it is hard to understand.”
These sentiments are echoed here at Jordon Freight where we work on a daily basis to assist in the delicate balancing act our tax weary hauliers have to contend with.
Although vehicle excise duty (VED) is set to rise by the rate of inflation it has been announced it will be frozen for hauliers. However this is short shrift for a sector which has already tried every cost cutting exercise in the book.
With the threat of rising global oil prices we could well be in for a summer of discontent. Stay tuned.