Further to news that petrol prices have reached a new high, the Country, Land & Business Association insist that the Government must introduce a windfall tax to prevent oil and gas companies from profiteering – something that is especially important for rural communities, given how vulnerable they are to rising fuel costs.

Mark Tufnell, President of the Country Land and Business Association (CLA), said:

“Rising oil prices put further pressure on to the rural economy, including farmers, and threaten the viability of small rural businesses. They can often can plunge families into fuel poverty. 

“People living in rural communities inherently face additional fuel costs due to their distance from work, supermarkets and public services.  As well as the sky-high price of diesel and petrol, those whose homes are heated by oil have seen their costs triple.  

“When it comes to fuel prices, the public have long memories.  We know that when oil and gas prices rise, the costs are passed to the consumer immediately.  But when the prices begin to fall, oil companies are very slow indeed to pass those savings on.  Oil and gas companies, refineries and petrol stations must not profiteer from this crisis – and government must implement a windfall tax on any that do.

“Meanwhile, farmers, who are struggling to cope with huge changes in agricultural policy and hyperinflation in commodities such as fertiliser, now have even greater costs to bear. The knock-on impacts are hard to predict, but they will likely mean reduced food security and higher prices for consumers.”