An e-petition calling for cheaper petrol and diesel has garnered over 92,000 signatures so far – just 8,000 short of the number required for it to be debated in the House of Commons. As such it is the third most popular e-petition after ones calling for ‘Convicted London rioters should lose all benefits’ and ‘Full disclosure of all government documents relating to 1989 Hillsborough disaster’.
Started by Robert Halfon MP, supporter of Fairfuel UK, the petition reads: High petrol and diesel prices are crippling our economy. Many motorists now pay a tenth of their income just to fill up the family car, and millions of families are suffering. Businesses are under immense pressure, especially the road freight industry. But petrol and diesel are now so astronomically expensive, it is COSTING the Government money. This is because fewer people can afford to drive, leading to lower tax revenues. Therefore, this petition calls on the Government to:
1) Scrap the planned 4p fuel duty increases, which are scheduled for January and August 2012.
2) Create a price stabilisation mechanism that smooths out fluctuations in the pump price.
3) Pressure big oil companies to pass on cheaper oil to motorists.
4) Set up a Commission to look at market competitiveness, and radical ways of cutting fuel taxes in the longer term.
The government set up the e-petitions website as an ‘easy way’ for citizens to influence policy. Anyone can create a petition about anything that the government is responsible for and if it gets at least 100,000 signatures it will be eligible for debate in the House of Commons.
The fuel prices petition will close on August 5, 2012. It can be viewed at http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/347
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