Fuel duty rise to hit the Scottish driving community
As of midnight tonight the UK government will be introducing a further two pence tax charge on every litre of fuel sold in the UK. Aside from the fact that every motorist and every haulage firm in UK will see their driving costs increase, there are specific concerns for the Scottish driving community who many believe will be hit hardest by the move.
Prior to the 2p increase in the cost of a litre of fuel there was already a significant gap between petrol charges in the Glasgow area compared to those in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. Indeed, the gap has been noted at anything up to 12p a litre which is obviously a massive difference and a massive additional cost for those in the rural parts of Scotland, who will ultimately depend upon their own transport to get around.
It seems as though the Scottish executive made a last ditch attempt to save Scottish motorist from more pain although the UK Treasury was not willing to introduce a reduced rate in some of the more rural areas of Scotland. Whether the Scottish executive can use its own powers to investigate and potentially penalise those charging "excessive fees" for petrol in the more rural areas of a Scotland remains to be seen.
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