The Government is apparently so concerned about the people of Britain paying more for necessities than the people of other countries, that is has set up a new quango to investigate prices. But first, the Government should look at petrol and diesel prices - the most basic of necessities to keep this country moving.

I have just returned from a holiday in Florida, USA, where petrol is just 86 cents, or 54p, a gallon! Not over £3 per gallon as here nowadays.

I filled up my mid-sized rental car for around $10.00 (that's about £6.50) for unleaded 'gas' and their fuel prices have actually fallen by about ten per cent over the past six months. Their fuel supplies come from just the same place as ours, so why the enormous difference for just the same commodity?

The reason that it costs me about £35 to fill up my car tank in York is that successive Governments have used the price of petrol and diesel as a constant "cash cow", milking the motorist and transport industry, in the name of the environment at every Budget. It's a farce and a fraud.

About 85 per cent of the price of these fuels is direct taxation and revenue to the Government to prop up their other wonderful schemes.

Now, before all those pedal-pushers reach for their pens in outraged reply, let them just remember that every time the price of fuels is increased it hits everyone in the pocket due to increased distribution costs, higher food prices, loss of jobs etc. You just can't deliver everything on a push-bike or by rail. It's completely impossible.

Peter Stanhope,

Grange Close,

Skelton,

York.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.