Mr Wilson said,
“Rural communities depend on their vehicle for transport to and from work and many houses require more than one vehicle just to manage their daily essential journeys. A hike on fuel duty would be devastating for working families who are already taxed to the teeth. This news will send a shiver of dread down their spine.
Whilst fuel duty hikes might be manageable and even popular in central London, they will be the difference between families struggling to pay bills or managing to get by in Northern Ireland. London has a public transport system which can be used for travel to school and employment as well as social travel but many of Northern Ireland’s car owners have zero public transport passing their door.
A further hike in duties will be another tax on rural dwellers.
We will be pressing the Chancellor to step back from any hikes and give an assurance there will be no increase on fuel duties but rather a recognition that the war in Ukraine has driven pump prices up and motorists need a break.”
