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EXPRESS COMMENT

TOGETHER WE WILL CRUSADE UNTIL BROWN CUTS FUEL DUTY

Tuesday June 3,2008

Comment Speech Bubble Have your say(2)

THIS newspaper’s crusade to cut fuel duty has touched a nerve with the British public.

Tens of thousands of you have already returned our crusade coupon. It is the sort of response that will produce a sinking feeling in 10 Downing Street where they are still licking their wounds after taking on the Daily Express and losing over inheritance tax.

Officially, the Prime Minister is continuing to mull over whether to postpone an additional 2p per litre fuel duty increase. But the political reality is that this decision has already been made for him by voters. It would be political suicide for Gordon Brown to add insult to injury by further raising duty.

Mr Brown would like the entire debate about duty to revolve around the merits of deferring a rise in order to portray himself as a listening premier when he does so. We must not let him get away with that. What is needed is a substantial cut in duty.

The trade union leader Derek Simpson is calling on Mr Brown to finance a duty cut by imposing a windfall profits tax on the oil companies. But Mr Brown is already getting a windfall from higher North Sea Oil Tax receipts.

A further windfall tax would hit pension funds – to which Mr Brown has already done quite enough damage. It could also make oil companies less likely to finance further exploration.

The Government should pass on the extra cash it is making, not mount a new tax grab. It can well afford to cut fuel duty and this newspaper will not rest until it does.

TRY ANOTHER TACK

08.06.08, 8:07pm

No more petrol or diesel to be claimed on MP's expense accounts for any purpose until his matter is solved, they, the same as everyone else pay pump prices out of their own pockets,no claims at all for business or private use . Then we wait and see what happens . A cut in duty?
PS Wives on shopping sprees included in ban

• Posted by: Maggie • Report Comment