10/09/2001
SDLP leader welcomes EU call to cut UK fuel tax
SDLP leader John Hume has welcomed EU pressure placed on UK Chancellor Gordon Brown to lower the cost of fuel in the UK.
Speaking after the European Commission revealed that reforms aimed at harmonising levels of fuel tax across Europe were ‘inevitable’, Mr Hume said that the call was a welcoming development as people in Northern Ireland had suffered more than most with regard to high fuel prices.
He added: “In the Republic a litre of fuel costs around 56p, while people in Derry, for example, have to pay around 78 pence. This is a major issue North of the border, a point which I have put strongly to the Chancellor and his office.
“The changes in the cost of fuel which need to be made in the North are long overdue, and I welcome this pressure from the EU as a positive step forward. I now hope that the Chancellor will respond positively to this call.”
As they are unable to compete with their counterparts in the south, many petrol stations near to the land border have been forced to close. (MB)
Speaking after the European Commission revealed that reforms aimed at harmonising levels of fuel tax across Europe were ‘inevitable’, Mr Hume said that the call was a welcoming development as people in Northern Ireland had suffered more than most with regard to high fuel prices.
He added: “In the Republic a litre of fuel costs around 56p, while people in Derry, for example, have to pay around 78 pence. This is a major issue North of the border, a point which I have put strongly to the Chancellor and his office.
“The changes in the cost of fuel which need to be made in the North are long overdue, and I welcome this pressure from the EU as a positive step forward. I now hope that the Chancellor will respond positively to this call.”
As they are unable to compete with their counterparts in the south, many petrol stations near to the land border have been forced to close. (MB)
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Fuel costs hit Ryanair profit margin
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Northern Ireland WeatherToday:A sunny but frosty start for many. However cloud increases by midday with a few showers reaching the north coast, these mostly light but spreading inland this afternoon. Chilly. Maximum temperature 8 °C.Tonight:A rather cloudy evening with scattered showers. Becoming drier through the night with some good clear spells developing and a patchy frost away from coasts. Minimum temperature 0 °C.