ROBERT SMITH'S COMMENT ON SOME RECENT TAX CHANGES
Fuel duty rise and rural areas
Robert Smith and his colleagues voted against the Government's latest fuel duty hike as there were no measures to protect rural areas where there is no choice but to use a car. The rural economy depends on road transport for vital business deliveries as well.
If the Government were serious about changing behaviour to protect the environment they would target motoring charges at road use where there is proper investment in good public transport alternatives and not use such a blunt method as fuel duty.
Tax on holiday lets
Another tax change that is going to hit local businesses is the change to the way holiday lets are taxed. From now on they will not be able to claim business relief but will be taxed as normal rental property.
The Government and the businesses impacted by this change still disagree greatly on the costs of such a change. Clearly the Government need to do more work to avoid damaging the important tourism economy.
Tax on whisky
With two distilleries in the constituency I am only too well aware of how important the export market is to this industry. Putting up duty at home threatens to stimulate protectionist taxes against whisky imports abroad. In addition as Ken Clarke found out when he was Chancellor if you put the tax up by too much then you end up reducing income to the Government as sales fall.
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