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TRUCKERS' STRIKES * Europe - Traffic Stops Over Gas Prices
Hundreds of truckers shut down a central London highway Tuesday, French fishermen blockaded ports and French President Nicolas Sarkozy proposed cutting European fuel taxes as already high gasoline prices soared even higher
London,UK -The Washington Post (USA), by Kevin Sullivan & Molly Moore -May 28, 2008: -- ... The truckers, who eventually delivered a petition to Prime Minister Gordon Brown's office, were protesting as Britain's national average pump price for diesel hit the equivalent of $9.56 a gallon and regular unleaded hit $8.61 a gallon, according to the Automobile Association... The protests spreading across Europe signal a growing agitation at skyrocketing fuel prices in nations already accustomed to paying dearly at the pump... Most European countries long ago chose to heavily tax gasoline, partly to encourage use of public transportation. The British government, for example, charges a $3.77-a-gallon fuel duty and a 17.5 percent consumption tax on top of that -- the highest levels in Europe... By contrast, U.S. drivers pay an average combined federal and state tax of about 47 cents on a gallon of unleaded and 53.6 cents on a gallon of diesel, according to API, a U.S. trade association... The current pricing crisis, which has pushed crude oil above $135 a barrel, is pushing even more Europeans out of their cars. The Automobile Association said a recent survey found that 37 percent of its members were using their cars less because of fuel prices...
But for fishermen, taxi drivers, truckers and other people in businesses where using less fuel is not an option, frustration is turning into anger... But truckers and business leaders are demanding that the government scrap the tax increase altogether... (Photos by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images - 1) · Truckers upset over skyrocketing gas prices blockaded the A40 highway in London, shutting the key commuter artery for most of the day - 2) · Protest messages cover the front of one truck that joined the demonstration on the A40)Labels: truckers' strikes
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