News
Call for fuel duty rebate system
09/02/2010 10:39:00
ORKNEY and Shetland MP Alistair Carmichael will tomorrow question HM Treasury on their unwillingness to trial a fuel duty rebate system in the Northern Isles.
Mr Carmichael will be pressing Treasury ministers to offer credible reasons why a fuel duty derogation such as that used in Europe cannot be piloted across Orkney and Shetland.
Mr Carmichael has secured a 90 minute parliamentary debate on 'Fuel
duty on petrol prices in remote and peripheral areas' on Wednesday
morning.
Commenting, he said: "As prices at the local petrol pumps
steadily creep up this is not a time to let up in what has been a long
running campaign. It remains my view that the government not only has
the opportunity to help in this issue, they in fact have a duty to do
so. This is probably the single greatest disadvantage forced on to
local communities. The resistance from the government to addressing it
frankly makes little sense".
Mr Carmichael has since his election in 2001 been lobbying both the
Scotland Office and the Treasury to on their refusal to implement
fairer fuel prices for island residents. In August 2009 Mr Carmichael
met with Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy MP in Orkney to discuss the high
cost of fuel which continues to punish families and businesses across
the Northern Isles.