Plaid Cymru’s Myfanwy Davies and Helen Mary Jones have today (23/03) called for a freeze on fuel duty ahead of the Budget on Wednesday.
Fuel duty is set to rise by 2.55 pence per litre from April 2010 (1% above the rate of inflation) which will cost the average family an extra £200 a year and cause further problems to small businesses already struggling with higher fuel duties. Plaid has insisted that this duty hike should be postponed.
Campaign organisations such as the Road Haulage Association have come out in support of Plaid’s calls for a fair fuel duty regulator. Under such a plan, an unexpected spike in petrol prices would lead to a freeze on fuel duty.
MPs from Plaid and the SNP have tabled a an official statement urging a freeze on fuel duty and repeating calls for the establishment of a fuel duty regulator.
Arwyn Price of Gwynne Price Coaches in Trimsaran said:
“This has been our family business since 1956 and times have seldom been harder. I received the new diesel prices this morning, and even with a bulk discount, we will be paying nearly 10% more that in July last year and that is before the tax increase.
The Government is already raising fuel costs above the rate of inflation. When fuel cost goes up as it has, the least they can do is freeze the tax increase. If they don’t re-think in tomorrow’s budget, we are going to find things even more difficult”.
Myfanwy said:
“It is our communities - in and around - Llanelli that will feel the pinch of this fuel hike. Hard-working families are struggling to run a car, but these sky high fuel taxes also impact on prices in stores as costs rise to deliver food and other products to the shops. Our local businesses such as Gwynne Price Coaches and our many taxi companies make an enormous contribution to our local economy and will find it even more difficult to make ends meet”.
“After a year that has seen rocketing fuel prices, it is utterly irresponsible to ad to the burden facing local businesses and working families. Once again, the Labour Government is completely out of touch with communities like ours”.
Llanelli AM Helen Mary Jones added:
“This is just punishing ordinary people for a banking system failure that the London government helped to create. Our London-based friends simply don’t seem to understand the impact that rising fuel prices are having on ordinary people and communities.”
Plaid’s Westminster leader Elfyn Llwyd MP added:
“Rising fuel duty prices are already crippling industry – but it is also an unfair burden on struggling families, small businesses, rural areas in particular, and also sectors such as the emergency services will be hit especially hard by this.
“We will continue to fight this fuel hike and urge the introduction of a fuel duty regulator at the Budget to ensure price stability as well as lower fuel taxes.”
Showing posts with label tax. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tax. Show all posts
Tuesday, 23 March 2010
Wednesday, 17 March 2010
Myfanwy and Helen Mary take fight to save Llanelli Bingo Club to London
Plaid’s prospective parliamentary candidate for Llanelli, Myfanwy Davies and local AM Helen Mary Jones are backing Bingo players at Llanelli’s Argos Bingo club as they ask the Chancellor to take the last chance to scrap a tax hike from 15 to 20% on Bingo that may put the club’s future at risk.
Tomorrow (18/03), Myfanwy will join Bingo players from Llanelli as they present over 500 signed letters from local people in Llanelli to Treasury officials in Westminster. The letters, prepared by Myfanwy and Helen Mary, ask the chancellor to use the Spring Budget on March 24th, to scrap the tax hike.
Llanelli’s Bingo players plan to dress as daffodils and giant bingo balls and will protest against the tax hike in Parliament Square from 2.15 tomorrow afternoon. They plan to present the letters to the Treasury later in the afternoon.
Myfanwy said: “The last thing Llanelli needs is to loose the Argos Club. It is a place to meet and to socialise, particularly for older people, and it provides jobs in the town centre. Like many town centre businesses, the Argos Club has seen fewer customers coming through the doors and at a time like this, it deserves Government help - not this unfair tax-hike.
I hope the Chancellor will take this last chance to show that he understands communities like ours.”
Helen Mary said: “This is an unjust tax on people’s enjoyment. It is in hard times that you can tell what a Government’s priorities are. The Labour Government and it’s local MP, who voted to keep the tax increase last summer, have very different priorities from ours. But we hope that the letters will demonstrate to the Chancellor the depth of feeling against the tax”.
Nigel Griffiths, Manager of the Argos Bingo Club said: “We hope very much that the Government will think again about raising the tax. After all, if it drives us all out of business, it will not be able to collect the tax in any case”.
Tomorrow (18/03), Myfanwy will join Bingo players from Llanelli as they present over 500 signed letters from local people in Llanelli to Treasury officials in Westminster. The letters, prepared by Myfanwy and Helen Mary, ask the chancellor to use the Spring Budget on March 24th, to scrap the tax hike.
Llanelli’s Bingo players plan to dress as daffodils and giant bingo balls and will protest against the tax hike in Parliament Square from 2.15 tomorrow afternoon. They plan to present the letters to the Treasury later in the afternoon.
Myfanwy said: “The last thing Llanelli needs is to loose the Argos Club. It is a place to meet and to socialise, particularly for older people, and it provides jobs in the town centre. Like many town centre businesses, the Argos Club has seen fewer customers coming through the doors and at a time like this, it deserves Government help - not this unfair tax-hike.
I hope the Chancellor will take this last chance to show that he understands communities like ours.”
Helen Mary said: “This is an unjust tax on people’s enjoyment. It is in hard times that you can tell what a Government’s priorities are. The Labour Government and it’s local MP, who voted to keep the tax increase last summer, have very different priorities from ours. But we hope that the letters will demonstrate to the Chancellor the depth of feeling against the tax”.
Nigel Griffiths, Manager of the Argos Bingo Club said: “We hope very much that the Government will think again about raising the tax. After all, if it drives us all out of business, it will not be able to collect the tax in any case”.
Tuesday, 9 March 2010
Myfanwy and Helen Mary back Llanelli Bingo players in fight against unfair tax
Plaid’s prospective parliamentary candidate for Llanelli, Myfanwy Davies and local AM Helen Mary Jones are backing Bingo players at Llanelli’s Argos Bingo club as they ask the Chancellor to reconsider a tax hike on Bingo that may put the club’s future in jeopardy. Myfanwy visited Argos Bingo Club on Monday March 1st to hand over letters to the Chancellor for bingo players to sign and return to them.
Last Summer the Labour Government announced it would drastically increase taxes on Bingo while taxes on all other forms of gambling would remain the same. Llanelli’s Bingo players travelled down to Westminster to protest against this unfair treatment. Myfanwy and Plaid MPs met with the protesters and offered their support. In contrast to Llanelli’s Labour MP, who voted for the tax increase, Plaid MPs have consistently voted against this unfair tax.
Nonetheless, tax on bingo is still increasing from 15-20% and will severely effect clubs such as the Argos in Llanelli. The last chance for the Government to review the decision will be at the Spring Budget and so Myfanwy and Helen Mary want to be sure that the Chancellor understands the depth of opposition to the changes in Llanelli before he makes those decisions.
Myfanwy said: “The last thing Llanelli needs is to loose the Argos Club. It is a place to meet and to socialise, particularly for older people, and it provides jobs in the town centre. Like many town centre businesses, the Argos Club has seen fewer customers coming through the doors and at a time like this, it deserves Government help - not this unfair tax-hike.
Why should casinos in London still be taxed at the original rate and the future of our Bingo club be put at risk? I hope the Chancellor will take this last chance to show that he understands communities like ours.”
Helen Mary said: “This is an unjust tax on people’s enjoyment. It is in hard times that you can tell what a Government’s priorities are. The Labour Government and it’s local MP, who voted to keep the tax increase last summer, have very different priorities from ours. But we hope that the letters will demonstrate to the Chancellor the depth of feeling against the tax and that he will reconsider adding this additional burden to one of our landmark town-centre businesses”.
Nigel Griffiths, Manager of the Argos Bingo Club said: “These have been very difficult times. Particularly during January, we were seeing very few of our usual customers. We hope very much that the Government will think again about raising the tax. After all, if it drives us all out of business, it will not be able to collect the tax in any case”.
Copies of the letter have been left at the Argos Club and will be presented to Elfyn Llwyd, the leader of the Plaid Parliamentary Group, when he visits Llanelli next Monday (15th)
Last Summer the Labour Government announced it would drastically increase taxes on Bingo while taxes on all other forms of gambling would remain the same. Llanelli’s Bingo players travelled down to Westminster to protest against this unfair treatment. Myfanwy and Plaid MPs met with the protesters and offered their support. In contrast to Llanelli’s Labour MP, who voted for the tax increase, Plaid MPs have consistently voted against this unfair tax.
Nonetheless, tax on bingo is still increasing from 15-20% and will severely effect clubs such as the Argos in Llanelli. The last chance for the Government to review the decision will be at the Spring Budget and so Myfanwy and Helen Mary want to be sure that the Chancellor understands the depth of opposition to the changes in Llanelli before he makes those decisions.
Myfanwy said: “The last thing Llanelli needs is to loose the Argos Club. It is a place to meet and to socialise, particularly for older people, and it provides jobs in the town centre. Like many town centre businesses, the Argos Club has seen fewer customers coming through the doors and at a time like this, it deserves Government help - not this unfair tax-hike.
Why should casinos in London still be taxed at the original rate and the future of our Bingo club be put at risk? I hope the Chancellor will take this last chance to show that he understands communities like ours.”
Helen Mary said: “This is an unjust tax on people’s enjoyment. It is in hard times that you can tell what a Government’s priorities are. The Labour Government and it’s local MP, who voted to keep the tax increase last summer, have very different priorities from ours. But we hope that the letters will demonstrate to the Chancellor the depth of feeling against the tax and that he will reconsider adding this additional burden to one of our landmark town-centre businesses”.
Nigel Griffiths, Manager of the Argos Bingo Club said: “These have been very difficult times. Particularly during January, we were seeing very few of our usual customers. We hope very much that the Government will think again about raising the tax. After all, if it drives us all out of business, it will not be able to collect the tax in any case”.
Copies of the letter have been left at the Argos Club and will be presented to Elfyn Llwyd, the leader of the Plaid Parliamentary Group, when he visits Llanelli next Monday (15th)
Monday, 15 June 2009
Myfanwy and Helen Mary fight to save Llanelli Bingo Clubs
Myfanwy and Helen Mary slam Gordon’s Bingo Tax
Dr Myfanwy Davies, Plaid’s Llanelli Westminster candidate and Helen Mary Jones Llanelli’s Plaid AM have spoken out against the double taxation on bingo clubs that MPs voted on last week. Myfanwy has accused Gordon Brown’s government of placing Llanelli’s bingo clubs at risk.
The warning comes after Welsh Labour MPs defeated a Plaid-backed SNP motion to reverse the increase in the rate of duty from 15% to 22%. Other forms of gambling such as casino or online poker will remain taxed at 15%.
Myfanwy said:
Bingo clubs are an important part of social life in Llanelli. They provide safe entertainment and are places where women in particular come to meet their friends. This is a tax hike on bingo, when duty on other forms of gambling will remain the same. This is entirely unfair.
She warned:
“Bingo clubs may have to close in Llanelli over the next few weeks. Along with Helen Mary Jones, I will be supporting customers and staff at Llanelli’s bingo clubs who are very concerned about the situation”.
Helen Mary said
“There is widespread support for bringing down the rate of Bingo duty from 22 per cent to 15 percent in line with the tax rate for every other form of gambling. This is about fair play for one of the most popular pastimes enjoyed by people in all communities."
Myfanwy and Helen Mary will be talking to staff and customers at Bingo Clubs in and around Llanelli over the next few weeks.
Dr Myfanwy Davies, Plaid’s Llanelli Westminster candidate and Helen Mary Jones Llanelli’s Plaid AM have spoken out against the double taxation on bingo clubs that MPs voted on last week. Myfanwy has accused Gordon Brown’s government of placing Llanelli’s bingo clubs at risk.
The warning comes after Welsh Labour MPs defeated a Plaid-backed SNP motion to reverse the increase in the rate of duty from 15% to 22%. Other forms of gambling such as casino or online poker will remain taxed at 15%.
Myfanwy said:
Bingo clubs are an important part of social life in Llanelli. They provide safe entertainment and are places where women in particular come to meet their friends. This is a tax hike on bingo, when duty on other forms of gambling will remain the same. This is entirely unfair.
She warned:
“Bingo clubs may have to close in Llanelli over the next few weeks. Along with Helen Mary Jones, I will be supporting customers and staff at Llanelli’s bingo clubs who are very concerned about the situation”.
Helen Mary said
“There is widespread support for bringing down the rate of Bingo duty from 22 per cent to 15 percent in line with the tax rate for every other form of gambling. This is about fair play for one of the most popular pastimes enjoyed by people in all communities."
Myfanwy and Helen Mary will be talking to staff and customers at Bingo Clubs in and around Llanelli over the next few weeks.
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