Budget: Gordon Brown "rewards road haulage industry for blockading Grangemouth"TRANSform Scotland, an alliance of 68 transport and environment organisations (1), today attacked Gordon Brown's decision to slash taxation for the road haulage industry. TRANSform Scotland Campaign Manager Colin Howden said: "Gordon Brown has rewarded the road haulage industry for blockading Grangemouth. By slashing Vehicle Excise Duty on trucks, Brown is giving the message that industry special pleading will take precedence over environmental necessity." Gordon Brown's tax give-away to motorists and the road haulage industry goes against the environmental principles promoted by Tony Blair only yesterday. Colin Howden said: "Tony Blair's words on preventing climate change are no more than hollow rhetoric when his Chancellor's actions continue to make the use of the car and the heavy lorry cheaper. The Labour government have failed to match their policy commitments on climate change with action to reduce emissions, instead rewarding those vested interests who shout loudest." TRANSform Scotland are critical of the failure of the Chancellor to take the broader freight industry into account. Colin Howden commented: "It is disappointing that Gordon Brown didn't even mention the broader picture for freight. This statement does nothing to help move freight from road to rail. Indeed, by decreasing the tax burden on the road freight industry the rail freight industry will be faced with an even more unequal playing field." ENDS Notes to Editors: (1) TRANSform Scotland is the national sustainable transport campaign, bringing together 68 organisations - including transport operators, local authorities, national environment and conservation groups, chambers of commerce and local transport groups - interested in transport, the environment and a sustainable Scotland. We can be contacted at 72 Newhaven Road, Edinburgh, EH6 5QG. Tel.: 0131-467-7714; Fax: 0131-554-8656; e-mail: campaigns@transformscotland.org.uk; web: http://www.transformscotland.org.uk END OF NEWS RELEASE |