UNITED KINGDOM: HUNDREDS OF BRITISH TRUCK DRIVERS BRING CENTRAL LONDON TRAFFIC TO A CRAWL IN PROTEST AGAINST GOVERNMENT INCREASES ON DIESEL DUTY AND ROAD TAX

Record ID: 309699

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: HUNDREDS OF BRITISH TRUCK DRIVERS BRING CENTRAL LONDON TRAFFIC TO A CRAWL IN PROTEST AGAINST GOVERNMENT INCREASES ON DIESEL DUTY AND ROAD TAX
  • Date: 22nd March 1999
  • Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (MARCH 22, 1999) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) 1. VARIOUS OF TRUCKS WITH PROTEST BANNERS PARKED IN PARK LANE (7 SHOTS) 0.46 2. SV SOUNDBITE (English) TRUCK DRIVER RICHARD FORTUNE, ASKED HOW CONDITIONS FOR TRUCK DRIVERS IN UK ARE DIFFERENT FOR TRUCK DRIVERS IN EUROPE "A typical example is that a 40 ton truck in this country pays
  • Embargoed: 6th April 1999 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
  • City:
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Reuters ID: LVA8960K4FVPX4L7ZH5MGXSE263T
  • Story Text: Hundreds of British truckers brought traffic to a crawl
    in central London on Monday in protest against government
    increases in diesel duty and road tax.

    Blaring their horns, more than 200 drivers in flat-beds,
    18-wheelers, fuel tankers and vintage trucks converged on the
    busy Park Lane thoroughfare at mid-morning.

    Monday's (March 22) protest was prompted by yet another
    hike in fuel prices in the UK by the Labour government budget
    earlier this month.

    In his March 9 budget, Chancellor of the Exchequer
    (finance minister) Gordon Brown raised the duty on diesel fuel
    by up to 6.14 pence (10 cents) a litre, making British fuel
    among the most expensive in the world.

    Brown also sharply increased the road tax on the heaviest
    trucks, which some industry sources said could add about 2,500
    pounds (4,000 dollars U.S.) per year to the cost of running a
    40-tonne truck.

    The measures were part of efforts to improve the
    environment by cutting pollution.But lorry drivers are angry
    at having to pay the highest prices in Europe to keep their
    lorries on the road.

    Truckers told Reuters they planned to continue the road
    blocking protest in Part Lane in the centre of London's West
    End until Prime Minister Tony Blair agrees to hear their
    grievances.

    Motoring organisations warned of severe disruption set to
    last for much of the day.

    The protest, led by the relatively small group
    Transaction, drew sympathy from other members of the British
    haulage industry as well as from other road users.

    The Freight Transport Association, which represents
    truckers in the UK, fears the diesel duty and road taxes
    introduced in the budget will drive many hard-pressed truckers
    out of business.

    But the government has said there is no chance of
    ministers "rewriting" the budget.


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