The Ulster Farmers’ Union says that the Chancellors Budget announcement to scrap September’s fuel duty increase will be a small help for Northern Ireland’s rural families already struggling with rising fuel costs. Unfortunately, the Chancellors Budget held little else to help rural families and farm businesses.
UFU President Harry Sinclair said; “The Chancellors decision to scrap September’s planned rise in fuel duty comes as a small relief to rural families and farm businesses, which are already struggling to cope with rising fuel costs. On average rural families have to travel further to shop or work and the almost weekly surges in fuel costs have been causing a lot of concern. Fuel is also a major input cost for farmers and the rising costs of fuel for agricultural vehicles and machinery is now a major burden on local farm businesses. The spiralling cost of fuel has a disproportionate effect on farmers and families living in rural areas and what we would have liked to have seen was the Chancellor adopting new measures to address this.
“Unfortunately, the 2013 Budget offered little else for farming families. I am disappointed that the Chancellor did not take the opportunity to increase and amend capital allowances. This could have encouraged farmers to invest in equipment or construction of buildings, which in turn would have given the economy a boost and stimulated growth.”
