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Finance Bill

The whole point is to smooth the price increases. The hon. Gentleman obviously does not understand the proposal, but there is no proposal from the Liberals. This is the only proposal before us that does something now. I would have thought that he would have been interested in doing something for the rural areas of Scotland and Argyll. My hon. Friend the Member for Na h-Eileanan an Iar (Mr. MacNeil) tells me that fuel now costs £1 a litre in the Western Isles. What does that do to industry? The situation must be the same in Argyll, and I am surprised that the hon. Gentleman is not supporting us. Perhaps I should not be, knowing the Liberals. The new clause is a genuine attempt to try to have some certainty for the foreseeable future and to let businesses flourish by letting them know what their costs will be. If we do not accept this or something similar, more and more businesses will go under and they will not only be haulage businesses. Many other businesses in rural areas will be affected. There have already been closures in these areas, as firms concentrate their factories near the centres of population. All of us could give examples of small firms in our constituencies that have fallen victim as employers concentrate their activities near the major markets or the bigger cities.