In an interview with the BBC, Mr Blair warned that digging into the surplus built up by the chancellor to cut the price of petrol risked throwing the UK into recession, and he denied that he was out of touch with the mood of the country. But the Conservatives have predicted that Chancellor Gordon Brown's pre-Budget statement next week will include concessions to hauliers and farmers. In the interview, broadcast on BBC Radio 4's Broadcasting House programme on Sunday, Mr Blair said it was important to make the right choices for the economy.
Government is about choices.
He said while fuel duties were high in Britain, the overall levels of tax were low. However, Shadow Cabinet Office minister Andrew Lansley predicted that Wednesday's pre-Budget statement would include measures to placate hauliers and farmers, such as cuts in fuel duty or tax discs. All that is happening now is the government acknowledging that they raised taxes more than it was necessary to do and they have to give some of that money back. An independent survey, commissioned before the fuel crisis, found that motorists in seven countries, including France and Ireland, paid more tax than British drivers. The survey added up petrol duty, car purchase taxes, car ownership taxes and road tolls to come up with a total figure.