QLD! Join the fight to save the Fuel Subsidy

[kenz]

Fuel Subsidy Petition
The State Government is threatening to scrap Queensland’s 8.35 cents a litre fuel subsidy in the June Budget – despite specific assurances to the RACQ and the broader community ahead of the March election that the subsidy would be retained.

Combined with increases in vehicle registration of 10 to 15 percent from July 1, this extra fuel tax would cost most Queensland families several hundred dollars a year, while also pushing up the prices of other goods and services.

With GST, it will add nine cents a litre to petrol and diesel and will hit families in the outer suburbs and regional areas hardest, as people in these areas have less access to public transport and, often, longer distances to travel.

A wide range of industry groups has joined RACQ in rejecting any suggestion of scrapping the fuel subsidy. These include the Queensland Trucking Association, the Motor Trades Association of Queensland, AgForce and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland. They support RACQ’s view that making fuel more expensive through higher taxes would leave Queensland families and businesses with less money to spend on other goods and services, which would rise in price because of higher transport costs. The industry groups also fear job losses in their respective sectors.

Respondents to RACQ’s online poll at racq.com have been overwhelmingly against scrapping the fuel subsidy, mirroring a Club survey late last year when only nine percent of members opposed its retention.

While there have been criticisms that the full fuel subsidy is not always passed on to motorists, the bottom line in abandoning it would be Queenslanders paying an extra 8.35 cents a litre in fuel excise, plus an extra 0.835 cents a litre in GST.

Complete this e-petition now to send a clear message to Premier Anna Bligh that Queenslanders will not accept withdrawal of the fuel subsidy.

The link for the petition is here http://www.racq.com.au/promotions/fu...bsidy_petition