The Forum of Private Business (FPB) has urged chancellor Gordon Brown to rescue small firms from sky-high petrol prices following a surge in the cost of oil.
Small businesses such as hauliers and couriers have suffered from high petrol prices recently, with most of the UK now paying over 80p a litre for the first time since the fuel protests in the summer of 2000.
This is mainly due to the global rise in oil prices, which directly affects the cost of petrol.
The FPB said the chancellor should consider going back on a promise made in his last budget, in which he announced a 1.9p increase in fuel duty per litre.
The tax increase is due to come into force in September. The rising cost of petrol is ominous for many small firms that operate on tight margins.
Small hauliers in particular have felt aggrieved in recent years at the high price of petrol in the UK, with company bosses pointing out that their competitors in Europe enjoy far lower fuel costs.
Andrew Mowlah, head of research at the FPB, said that Brown should appreciate the feelings of small firms.
“Almost 80 per cent of FPB members voted in favour of the fuel protests that took place in 2000. Even though the blockades of fuel depots caused disruption they felt it was the only way to make the government sit up and take notice of the anger that business owners felt over the impact of high fuel costs.
“The last thing that we want to see is a repeat of such disruption and if Gordon Brown committed to at least review the 1 September increase it would send a message to UK businesses that he is aware of the strength of feeling in the country,” he said.
