High Court Enforcement Orders the Govt to publish Air Pollution Strategy on May 9th
The Client Earth campaign driven by
hundreds of well-funded highly paid lawyers and millionaire celebrities, has
meant that our ill-informed policy makers have not only demonised millions of
hard working drivers, but dishonestly devalued UK's diesel fleet by £35
billion.
With urban toxic taxes, parking hikes and city bans on diesel vehicles
seemingly to be the only solutions to placate the green lobby, why have drivers
not been asked for their opinions and remedies to lowering emissions? 38.5m, or
81% of the electorate, drive and are at the heartbeat of the economy!
We call on the Government in waiting to put motorists, van drivers and truckers
at the heart of the election campaign. We also call upon the Government to
produce a long term strategic plan to improving air quality and categorically
not resort to taxation, congestion charges or bans.
Despite diesel cars being responsible for only 11% of NOx emissions in London,
they are being remorselessly targeted by the London Mayor and others to pay a
heinous and gratuitous toxic tax. Paradoxically these opportunist
politicians ignore NOx levels are falling as engine technology improves, there
is no need for punitive taxation. Their motives are purely to fleece hard
working drivers.
FairFuelUK has written to the Prime Minister asking for a meeting to discuss
alternative and proven clean air solutions, that will work without penalising
diligent honest drivers and not impacting badly on the economy. In just a
week, 60,000 supporters have emailed number 10 and their MP in support of such a
meeting taking place.
Howard Cox founder of the
FairFuelUK Campaign says: "Legal enforcement of the present
emission standards is the way forward, with political pressure on manufacturers
to produce cleaner engines. They have the technology, so they can do it! The Government must compel these highly profitable car firms to stop
conning the tax payer with lies about real life driving performance and
emissions data."
"It is vital that any thoughts of toxic taxes and urban controls of diesel
traffic, must be removed and a long term solution evolving scrappage, bio fuel
additives, retrofitting and public transport fleet replacement be at the heart
of a low emissions strategy."
In a survey by FairFuelUK of 11,190
drivers between April 4th to April 11th:
- 94% of Diesel drivers feel demonised and deceived by past Government policy.
- 4 out of 5 diesel drivers believe the Government are not listening to the true facts and believe they will have to face increases on duty, VED, VAT plus the roll out of toxic taxes and even bans driving into cities.
- 60% of drivers believe retrofitting diesel vehicles is the best solution followed by a fair scrappage scheme
- Nearly 7 out of 10 drivers want to see a national engine emissions scale by vehicle brand established to reflect real life on-the-road driving conditions
- Nearly 8 out of 10 would refer to accurate and trusted real life driving emissions data for each vehicle type to aid in future purchase decisions
- 77.5% of diesel drivers intend to keep their vehicles
- 83% of diesel drivers will continue to drive the same mileage following any toxic tax implementation.
- 75% believe the main motive of the Government is simply to raise extra money from drivers as they have no solutions to lowering emissions
- Only 1 in 10 drivers believe making drivers pay more is a way to improve air quality
- 55% want to see tax incentives to encourage use of cleaner fuels