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Finance Bill

We recognise the difficulties faced by people in rural areas who are dependent on the car. I say to the hon. Gentleman that fuel duty is still lower in real terms now than it was in 1999, and it is just one part of the cost of fuel. It is because we are sensitive to the pressures that people face that we are staging the increase. I wish to move on to cider. Several hon. Members have made much of saying that we had proposed a pernicious increase in cider tax and that the increase should have been imposed just on higher-strength ciders. People pray in aid small cider producers, but in clause 69, which will remain in the Bill, we change the definition of cider. Much of the difficulty that people have had with the problem ciders is that they do not have a very high apple juice content. That is why we are changing the definition, which will not affect rural producers. I wonder whether Members of all parties have seen the letters that I have received from those in the beer brewing industry, who have been complaining for a long time about the iniquity of the situation. In their view, with which we agree, there is an unfair difference between beer and cider duty.