Duty freeze essential to help economic growth, reports RHA

Further increases in the amount of duty added to the price of diesel cannot be afforded and will strangle UK industry, the Road Haulage Association (RHA) has reported, ahead of the fuel price debate set for the House of Commons in the upcoming days.

The UK already charges more tax than any other EU country on road diesel, a key industrial fuel to businesses involved in haulage and distribution.

According to the RHA’s figures, a typical UK truck will currently pay at least £25,000 in diesel duty, more than double what a truck in Luxembourg (£12,000) will pay. French trucks pay approx. £16,000, with Belgians £15,000.

With the proposed fuel rises set to add 3p to a litre in January and further increase the price by 3.4p in August, this equates to an 11% increase across the space of just 8 months, adding a further £2,700 on to the price UK industry will pay on trucks in a year.

The RHA’s Chief Executive Geoff Dunning commented, “These duty increases are totally out of step with UK business. The transport industry’s customers are looking for rates freezes and even reductions – not the increases that will have to be sought as a result of diesel duty increases

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