Soaring fuel costs are hurting families and firms, SNP says

Families and businesses are being hit hard by the rising cost of fuel, the government has been told.

SNP Treasury spokesman Stewart Hosie warned the effects of increasing duty and VAT combined with high oil prices were "decimating" family finances.

The effect of the rising cost of fuel also threatened to ruin hopes for economic growth, he warned.

A joint SNP-Plaid Cymru Commons motion condemned the government for "dithering" over setting up a fuel duty stabiliser, which would smooth out some of the spikes in the cost of filling up at the pumps.

The motion also urged progress on talks with Europe to allow a discount in duty for motorists in remote areas who need to use their cars more than urban counterparts and yet face even higher fuel costs.

Mr Hosie said the current cost was "unsustainable, it is inflationary, it is decimating family budgets and it is putting untold pressure on many businesses and many business sectors.

"It is having a catastrophic effect in remote and rural areas.

"That is why we are calling on the Tory part of this government to keep their promise to deliver quickly a fuel duty stabiliser and that's why we are calling on the Liberal part of this government to keep their promise in delivering a fuel duty derogation for remote and rural areas."

He continued: "The time for talk and promises on fuel is over. There is an absolute necessity for this government, both bits of it, to deliver on the promises."