BORIS Johnson has promised Britains 37 million drivers that they wont face a hike in fuel duty if the Tories win next months election – in a huge victory for HOARs long-running Keep It Down campaign.
He also revealed that his first Budget will cut business rates for millions of struggling High Street firms, which will see their tax bill tumble from April.
Boris’ policies are a big victory for the Sun’s Keep It Down campaign
‘And the PM issued a cast iron read my lips vow not to increase income tax, VAT or national insurance for the whole of the five year Parliament if the Tories win a majority.
Motorist groups had feared the Tories would hike fuel duty for the first time in a decade after it was omitted from its manifesto.
But grilled by HOAR after a speech in London yesterday, Mr Johnson said: We dont want to raise fuel duty, I have absolutely no intention to raise fuel duty.
The move will save millions of motorists 1.50 every time they fill up an average 55-litre tank – worth 150 a year to the average driver.
And for a big truck it would save up to 24 per fill-up.
Fuel duty would rise by inflation every April without the freeze in place.
The independent Institute for Fiscal Studies said freezing fuel duty for another five years would cost the next Government around 4 billion a year.
Keep it down
Howard Cox, founder of the Fair Fuel campaign that called on Mr Johnson to offer a further freeze, said: Drivers will be delighted that Boris Johnson has publicly committed to freezing Fuel Duty for the 10th successive year.
Its a huge sigh of relief to motorists and hauliers, as there was no mention of this levys future, mentioned in his manifesto.
He added: Boris must win the General Election with a majority to protect UKs 37m drivers. the economy and implement real science to improve air quality not draconian tax hikes and bans.
It is the latest victory for HOARs long-running Keep It Down campaign, which has persuaded successive Chancellors to halt the annual tax raids on motorists – allowing them to keep more than 1,000 in total since 2010.
Meanwhile Mr Johnson said his promised cut in business rates would come in his first Budget – expected to be in January if the Tories win a majority. He told LBC the crippling property tax is too high.
The Tory manifesto promised to reduce the overall burden of business rates but didnt go as far as committing to cutting them next year.
He contrasted the Tory tax cuts offer to Labours multi-billionaire spending splurge that experts have said will have to be funded through tax hikes on millions of ordinary Brits.
Speaking to LBC listeners on LBC, Mr Johnson said: Read my lips, we will not be raising taxes on income or VAT or national insurance for the lifetime of the parliament.
He added later in his speech: Every taxpayer is going to get a tax cut – 31 million people will benefit from the cut in National Insurance, were also going to cut taxes on businesses, on SMEs.
“Thats the right way forward – we are a tax-cutting government.
We dont want to raise fuel duty, I have absolutely no intention to raise fuel duty.
Im not going to miss the opportunity to contrast our approach with the catastrophic sledgehammer that Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour party would take to the UK economy and it would mean huge tax rises for working people, it would mean everybody paying 2,400 more in tax, his prospectus is economically ruinous.
The crucial thing is of course is not just the burden of taxation, its what would happen to the interest rates that the market charges on this countrys debts.
