| The price of unleaded and diesel has steadily crept upwards in recent months, at the same time as hard-pressed businesses have struggled to stay afloat in the teeth of the recession.
Unleaded is currently available for 106.9p per litre at a major supermarket in Dundee — a figure that has risen by several pence in recent weeks — while some independent outlets in rural locations around the city have been charging up to 114.9p per litre.
Garages along the Kingsway corridor had a range of prices from 106.9p to 110.9p for unleaded and 108.9p to 111.9p for diesel when the Tele did a spot check last night.
Charles Goodall, vice chairman of the Dundee and Angus branch of the Federation of Small Businesses, said local firms were feeling the burden of increased fuel costs, and he called on the UK government to look again at the levies it placed on petrol and diesel.
He said higher fuel costs had a knock-on effect for all aspects of business as it inevitably meant firms had to increase their call-out fees to cover costs, and delivery charges for buying in or distributing goods were also hit.
Mr Goodall said, “It is costing companies more to travel out to do work, it is costing more to distribute goods and it could be more to bring goods in.
“Unfortunately, some of the (local) businesses who are actually involved in selling fuel — some of the few private stations that are left — are having to charge these prices pure and simply because profit margins are very, very low.
“At the end of the day, it is the government who control a lot of the fuel duty price, so they have it within their power to reduce them and help alleviate the situation, which is already dire for many businesses both small and large.
“One way they can do that is to look at fuel duty charges which, along with VAT, are a double whammy of tax (on petrol and diesel). There are grave concerns about these costs.”
David Young, of Dundee private hire firm 203020, said the taxi trade had no option but to tighten its belt and take increased costs on the chin.
He said previous fuel protests — such as the nationwide campaign seen in 2000 — had achieved very little in terms of stopping prices rising further.
“It (increasing fuel costs) has always been a bone of contention, but at this time the taxi trade is being responsible and not putting fares up.
“At the end of the day, the reality is that everybody is going to have to take it on the chin because there is nothing we can do to influence the government and their policy on fuel.” |
