A rural watchdog body has lent its support to countryside motorists feeling the pinch due to hikes in fuel duty.
The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) in the East Midlands says motorists planning to drive to visit family for Christmas are being hit with record fuel costs – and most scrooge filling stations are refusing to lower pump prices.
Unleaded petrol has gone up by nearly 20p a litre in the past year to its highest pre-Christmas level – an increase of 21 per cent., and drivers face a further 2p hike per litre, when the Government puts VAT back up to 17.5 per cent.
The CLA, which supports owners of land, property, and businesses in rural England and Wales, argues the Government needs to be aware of the impact such taxes can have on families and businesses, especially in rural areas.
Tim Barnes-Clay, a motoring columnist for the CLA’s national Land & Business magazine, said: "If you look at rural areas there really is no alternative to the car, and it’s significantly increasing people’s cost of living. Motorists will have to pay considerably more for their fuel this Christmas."
Drivers are being charged an average of 108.16p a litre for unleaded petrol – up from 89.32p last year. Asda has reduced prices at all its forecourts, forcing rival forecourts in the same area to follow suit. But filling stations elsewhere have refused to shift, creating a petrol price divide.
Meanwhile the CLA is also demanding that the Government stands by a nine-year-old pledge to "rural proof" its policies by cutting Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) on cars used in the countryside.
"The Government promised to take the extra costs of rural living – like transport – into account when fixing taxes by so-called "rural proofing" but this promise has not been kept," added Kettering based Mr Barnes-Clay.