He's no Darling to Motorists

Alistair Darling has hit motorists hard in his first budget as chancellor and he is justifying his swingeing tax and fuel duty hikes as 'cracking down on pollution'.

Even though the chancellor delayed the 2 pence per litre increase in fuel duty due to be imposed in April until October, it is only temporary respite for motorists who have seen fuel prices soar in recent months. In addition to increasing running costs, many motorists face higher-than-inflation duty charges on their vehicles as Darling aims to penalise the highest polluting drivers.