MOTORISTS found little cheer in the Budget and although the 1p a litre rise in petrol and diesel was not unexpected, there were fears that pumps north of the Border would again gain the advantage, especially in the event of a price war among the oil companies in the UK.
The biggest disappointment was the absence of any reduction in Vehicle Registration Tax. The Society of the Irish Motor Industry had argued for a lower rate of 20 per cent which would have meant a small family ear dropping in price by about £300. The SIMI said the buoyancy created by such a move would have generated additional revenue as well as creating more than 1,000 jobs.
The chief executive of SIMI, Mr Cyril McHugh, did however welcome the benefit in kind relief for company representatives out of the office for more than 70 per cent of the time.
For the Automobile Association, spokesman Mr Conor Faughnan was also unenthusiastic. "It did not contain a single constructive measure for the whole motoring sector."