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| Britain |
| Welsh Truckers Stage Gas Protest |
| 2004-06-05 |
| (If you guys think we pay a lot of gas ,,,read on) About 200 truckers drove with horns blaring through Cardiff Saturday to protest rising fuel prices, but other demonstrations were called off after the government said it might reconsider plans to hike fuel taxes. Surging world oil prices have pushed the cost of gasoline to (((($5.79 per gallon)))) in Britain, drawing threats of protests and blockades by haulers and other drivers. Protests scheduled for several British cities were called off this week after Prime Minister Tony Blair said the government had not committed to increasing fuel tax by 13 cents per gallon in September. Britain’s fuel taxes account for nearly three-quarters of the cost of gasoline and are among Europe’s highest. The issue is a touchy one for the government. Four years ago, a loose coalition of truckers and farmers blockaded fuel depots across Britain for several days, leading to shortages, after rising world oil prices pushed up prices at the pump. Protest organizer Martin Palmer said more demonstrations might be held to keep up pressure on the government. "We’ll see what the government comes up with," he said. "We intend keeping the pressure on and not waiting until August or September." Environmental groups criticized calls for petrol tax to be cut. Two members of Greenpeace hung a banner reading: "Global warming kills - keep the fuel tax" along the truckers’ protest route. "We need fuel taxes as a vital part of the fight against global warming," said Greenpeace director Stephen Tindale. |
| Posted by:Mark Espinola |