Highway Robbery With Fuel Price Increase

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Eagle Couriers, leading Courier firmCourier Firm Condems Government Fuel Increase 

One of Scotland’s largest independent courier firms Eagle Couriers has condemned government plans to increase fuel duty by up to 3p per litre in January.

Fuel increases will come into play on New Year’s day and will cost road users an extra £1.50 to fill an average car.

The government has faced a chorus of criticism, with various bodies calling for the fuel increases to be scrapped. Instead, campaigners want a focus on a price stabilization mechanism to avoid crippling the economy.

Jerry Stewart, a director of Eagle Couriers, expressed his concerns over the damage fuel increases will have on businesses and families reliant on using the roads each day.

He said: “The Government is trying to squeeze money from this sector which simply is not there.

“For our fleet of 100 vehicles, we estimate this will add a minimum of £16,000 a year to our fuel bill, at a time when the country is barley limping out of recession with tiny growth of 0.4%.

“Our customers will not accept these costs being passed onto them and our margins are already being squeezed by every rise in tax, VAT and the cost of living.

“This is damaging to every business which uses the roads. It must be even worse for bus and lorry operators who are getting as little as seven miles to the gallon.

“Likewise I have nothing but sympathy for private road users, who will also be feeling acute pain from this unnecessary rise. That will put an even greater pressure on family budgets and risks further depressing confidence and spending.

“From the view of businesses and ordinary people, this is an ill-advised, unwanted and punitive rise which puts the whole fragile recovery at risk. It simply can’t be justified.”

Eagle Couriers is Scotland’s leading courier firm with over 30 years’ experience in the sector.

Press release issued on behalf of Eagle Couriers by public relations agency Holyrood PR