ONE WEEK TO SCRAP SEPTEMBER FUEL DUTY HIKE

RAISING FUEL PRICES WOULD HINDER ECONOMIC RECOVERY

SNP Westminster Transport spokesperson Angus MacNeil MP has called on the UK Government to scrap next week’s planned 2p increase on fuel prices - warning the hike could hinder economic recovery.

Mr MacNeil said:

"Pushing up fuel prices is absolutely the wrong thing to do in the grip of recession and this increase could actually hinder economic recovery.

"Just when the UK government should be stimulating the economy, the Treasury is intent on slapping another 2p on the price of petrol and diesel - hitting already hard-pressed households and businesses. The increase is especially damaging for the haulage industry.

"Currently, fuel duty accounts for about 71 pence of every pound the motorist spends at the forecourt.

"Increases in fuel duty are not a green tax, they are a Brown one, and people across Scotland have had their fill of Labour’s fuel duty increases. What Treasury Ministers in London forget is that for people in rural areas, a car is a necessity and not a luxury.”