Sandra Osborne MP Calls for VAT Rise on Fuel to be Reversed
Media Photocall, Saturday 12 March, 2.30pm, Wallacetower, High Street, Ayr
Sandra Osborne, MP for Ayr Carrick and Cumnock, is calling on Chancellor George Osborne to reverse the Government’s VAT rise on fuel.
The hike in VAT to 20% in January has added nearly 3p to the price of a litre of petrol and will raise £700m for the Treasury according to figures from the independent House of Commons Library.
The Labour Party says the VAT rise on petrol should be reversed immediately using the £800m extra the Government is now getting from the bank levy, compared to what it was expecting in the last Budget.
Sandra Osborne said:
‘I’ve consistently opposed the Conservative led government’s VAT rise which has hit families in Ayrshire and has helped to push up petrol prices to their current record levels.’
Sandra is also calling on the Chancellor to take immediate action on fuel prices to ease the pressure on families who are already facing a tough year and their incomes squeezed and to look again, in the Budget later this month, at the annual fuel duty rise due in April. She said:
‘I am calling on the Chancellor to immediately reverse the VAT rise on fuel, which has added nearly 3p to the price of a litre of petrol, using the extra £800m the Treasury will be getting from the bank levy. People across my constituency can sign my petition to the Chancellor on my website www.sandraosborne.co.uk or at my street stall on Saturday 12 March at 2pm at Wallacetower, High Street, Ayr.
‘The last Labour Government often postponed planned duty increases when world oil prices were on the up – as they are now. The Tories promised a ‘fuel duty stabiliser’ to win votes before the election but if they don’t deliver one it will just be another broken promise from this government.’
The AA’s latest fuel price report shows that across Scotland the average cost of a litre of unleaded petrol in February was 128.6p – up 7p compared to December last year, before the VAT rise. And the current instability in the Middle East and North Africa is driving up oil prices around the world which means the price of petrol at the pump is continuing to rise.
Sandra added
‘Now is the wrong time to be making things even worse for hard-pressed families by hiking up VAT. George Osborne should admit he got it wrong and reverse the VAT rise on petrol now.
Shadow Chancellor, Ed Balls MP, added:
‘I hope people across Ayr Carrick and Cumnock will back our campaign and send a message to the Chancellor that he needs to act immediately to reverse the VAT rise on fuel. It’s the wrong tax at the wrong time and is hitting families and businesses hard.’
Ends
You are invited to take a photograph, Sat 12 March, 2.30pm, Wallacetower, High Street, Ayr
For further information contact, Sandra Osborne MP, 01292 262906
Media Photocall, Saturday 12 March, 2.30pm, Wallacetower, High Street, Ayr
Sandra Osborne, MP for Ayr Carrick and Cumnock, is calling on Chancellor George Osborne to reverse the Government’s VAT rise on fuel.
The hike in VAT to 20% in January has added nearly 3p to the price of a litre of petrol and will raise £700m for the Treasury according to figures from the independent House of Commons Library.
The Labour Party says the VAT rise on petrol should be reversed immediately using the £800m extra the Government is now getting from the bank levy, compared to what it was expecting in the last Budget.
Sandra Osborne said:
‘I’ve consistently opposed the Conservative led government’s VAT rise which has hit families in Ayrshire and has helped to push up petrol prices to their current record levels.’
Sandra is also calling on the Chancellor to take immediate action on fuel prices to ease the pressure on families who are already facing a tough year and their incomes squeezed and to look again, in the Budget later this month, at the annual fuel duty rise due in April. She said:
‘I am calling on the Chancellor to immediately reverse the VAT rise on fuel, which has added nearly 3p to the price of a litre of petrol, using the extra £800m the Treasury will be getting from the bank levy. People across my constituency can sign my petition to the Chancellor on my website www.sandraosborne.co.uk or at my street stall on Saturday 12 March at 2pm at Wallacetower, High Street, Ayr.
‘The last Labour Government often postponed planned duty increases when world oil prices were on the up – as they are now. The Tories promised a ‘fuel duty stabiliser’ to win votes before the election but if they don’t deliver one it will just be another broken promise from this government.’
The AA’s latest fuel price report shows that across Scotland the average cost of a litre of unleaded petrol in February was 128.6p – up 7p compared to December last year, before the VAT rise. And the current instability in the Middle East and North Africa is driving up oil prices around the world which means the price of petrol at the pump is continuing to rise.
Sandra added
‘Now is the wrong time to be making things even worse for hard-pressed families by hiking up VAT. George Osborne should admit he got it wrong and reverse the VAT rise on petrol now.
Shadow Chancellor, Ed Balls MP, added:
‘I hope people across Ayr Carrick and Cumnock will back our campaign and send a message to the Chancellor that he needs to act immediately to reverse the VAT rise on fuel. It’s the wrong tax at the wrong time and is hitting families and businesses hard.’
Ends
You are invited to take a photograph, Sat 12 March, 2.30pm, Wallacetower, High Street, Ayr
For further information contact, Sandra Osborne MP, 01292 262906