A hard-pressed taxi firm boss has thanked The Courier and our readers for the part we played in pressuring the government to introduce a fuel duty regulator.
William Donnelly, owner of B&Ms in Cupar, described the cut in fuel duty announced on Wednesday by George Osborne and efforts to minimise future rises as “massively welcome.”
“I think The Courier has done a brilliant job,” said Mr Donnelly, who is in no doubt that our Fight for Fairer Fuel made the politicians sit up and take notice.
“We were proud to display campaign stickers in our taxis,” he continued. “Fuel bills have been going up at a ridiculous rate recently so I was really glad that The Courier stood up and did something about it.
“It has been pretty tough for us of late, so this will make a difference.”
Mr Donnelly said any cut in rates would be welcome news for thousands of small businesses up and down the country.
“The price of petrol was putting a lot of pressure not just on my business but on small companies throughout Scotland,” he said. “There is no doubt that something had to be done things could not continue as they were.”
Haulage chiefs, politicians of all shades and the federation of small businesses all threw their weight behind The Courier’s campaign in the last few months.
Tony Watters, secretary of the Dundee Taxi Association, believed the Fight for Fairer Fuel campaign and pressure from the SNP government contributed to the UK Government taking a penny a litre off fuel duty.
“I’m not sure if this was the only reason but it certainly played a part, ” he said. “I think The Courier should give itself a pat on the back.”To look back on how The Courier community came together to demand fairer fuel, click here.