UK government brings in 2p a litre tax rise on fuel
As of midnight tonight the UK government will be charging an extra two pence a litre on fuel, at a time when money is still tight, although the government believes it is time to reduce assistance introduced during the recession. This is the first stage of the UK government withdrawing various subsidies which were introduced when the recession became serious and consumers and businesses in the UK began to suffer financial distress.
However, there is a growing debate as to whether the UK government is using UK motorist as a cash cow because ultimately it is UK drivers who seem the first to be hit on every occasion. There are also fears that many fuel retailers will use the two pence rise to introduce their own extra margin on top, something which would add a significant amount to the cost of driving for the average UK motorist.
Aside from general UK motorists there are also growing fears for the UK transport network and haulage firms in particular. Even after the delay in UK fuel tax rises last year, many haulage firms were complaining about their increased overheads with a number actually going out of business due to cash flow issues.
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