22/04/2009

GRAHAME CONDEMNS BUDGET FUEL DUTY HIKE

Borderers face a hike in fuel duty of 2p per litre and an attack on frontline services following the British Government’s budget SNP MSP Christine Grahame has warned. Ms Grahame said the budget announced in London today (Wednesday) would hinder economic recovery and cost jobs, especially in rural areas like the Borders. Ms Grahame said:

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

“Just when the British Treasury should be stimulating the economy, this increase will hit already hard-pressed households and businesses, especially the haulage industry. In rural areas the effect will be even more marked and is bound to lead to further job losses.

“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 in the Borders have had their fill of Labour’s fuel duty increases. What Treasury Ministers in London forget is that the car is a necessity not a luxury in rural areas like this one.

“This is why the SNP will revisit the fuel duty regulator, a workable proposal to stabilise fuel prices which attracted much support from the haulage industry.”

Ms Grahame also attacked the British Government’s proposed cuts to public services that will impact directly on the Scottish budget and is estimated to remove £500m a year from Scotland. Ms Grahame added:

“We need investment in public spending to help us out of this recession, not additional cuts that will hit frontline services. It has been the UK Government mismanagement of the economy and its lack of control over the banking sector that has driven us into this mess, yet it will be our grandchildren who are left to repay the massive public debt Labour has left us with.

“We are seeing the final days of a sleaze ridden and dying Labour regime.”

SNP It’s time.....