PRA welcomes fuel duty freeze

PRA welcomes fuel duty freeze

The Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) has welcomed a freeze to fuel duty until April 2017.

Chancellor George Osborne announced he will hold off increases to the duty on motor fuel for 12 months during Wednesday’s Budget.

PRA chairman Brian Madderson said his association had been lobbying Government and the Treasury on the issue for sometime, outlining the potentially damaging effects on the economy and household budgets of even an inflation-linked rise.

“Today’s announcement will save households an average of £75 a year, and £250 for businesses,” he said.

However, there was disappointment that an opportunity to tax unregulated hand car washes or backdate business rates on their premises to 2010, which could have raised up to £1 billion, according to the PRA chief.

He added: “Such a move would also have provided a level playing field for independent forecourt operators with automatic (ACW) and hand car washes (HCW) whose financial sustainability continues to be threatened as shown by over 165 closures in 2015.”