'Fuel price rise will hit me hard'

Image source, (C) British Broadcasting Corporation

Image caption, Tony Moore says he'll find it hard to cope with another fuel price rise
  • Author, Dan Whitworth
  • Role, Newsbeat reporter

Another tax rise at the pumps means the average price of one litre of petrol and diesel across the UK is around 107 pence.

This latest 2p increase is the third in nine months and motoring groups aren't happy.

But the government says it needs the extra money to help try to kick start the economy through increased public investment.

For Tony Moore though, a building site manager from Leicestershire, it's not good news.

He said: "I look after a few sites in the Hertfordshire area so I spend quite a bit of my time driving, probably about 3 to 3Β½ hours per day."

He says this new tax rise on fuel will hit him hard. "I'm self-employed so these price rises on petrol and diesel I have to pay myself.

"I reckon I'm going to be paying out around an extra Β£20-25 every month. I've got a young daughter so it's going to restrict what I can do with her.

"Increasingly we're looking for things to do that doesn't cost us any money."

And Tony's not impressed with the government's claim of needing the extra money to try to kick-start the economy.

"I think it's ridiculous really because it's increasing the price of the one thing everyone really needs the most.

"We're already taxed more on fuel than most other countries. It's already far too expensive and this increase won't help anyone."