British drivers plead against tax hike

A major drivers' association has called for Gordon Brown to resist imposing green taxes on motorists in his pre-budget report, scheduled to be delivered tomorrow (December 6th).

The chancellor has not increased fuel duty since oil prices began to rise rapidly in 2003 but now that the price of a barrel has slumped back to more manageable levels, it is believed that the government will raise tax on fuel by 1.2 pence per litre.

Paul Biggs, a spokesman for the Association of British Drivers, said: "We strongly urge Gordon Brown to resist temptation, by refusing to impose further unjustified vehicle excise duty or other tax increases on family cars, including estates, people carriers and 4x4s."

In spite of the Stern review, which said that global growth could fall by a fifth if nothing is done about global warming, Mr Biggs argues that scientific evidence does not warrant tax increases from the British government.

"Over four billion years of cyclical warming and cooling have not been driven by cars or carbon dioxide," he said.

"No sexed up report from the EU or indeed the UK can overturn a lack of credible data."