RHA in fresh call for fuel duty cut

The Road Haulage Association (RHA) has renewed its call for a three pence per litre reduction in fuel duty, to allow UK hauliers to better compete with European counterparts.

“Road haulage is a key service industry to the UK economy and relies almost entirely on diesel, yet diesel duty remains by far the highest in the EU,” said new RHA chief executive Richard Burnett, pictured.

“British hauliers pay £12,000 a year or more duty per truck than most of their continental competitors. That damages the competitiveness of UK businesses and pushes up prices in the shops and for hauliers; it means increased pressure on cash-flow, and makes it more difficult to fund investment.

“Lower duty rates are not just a vote winner but a winner for investment, growth and jobs.”

The RHA also welcomed the launch of a ‘manifesto for growth’ by campaign group FairFuelUK, of which the association is a founding member, and which Burnett said had “done an excellent job in stopping the increase in fuel duty.”

Alongside the 3p per litre cut, the FairFuelUK 2015 general election manifesto also calls for fuel receipts from garages and service stations to display all government taxes in detail; the bringing into line of UK fuel prices and taxation levels with those on the Continent; an independent probe into fuel pricing and oil price speculation; and a large increase in tax incentives for those adopting greener fuels and technologies.