Fuel excise push grows

THOUSANDS of people have supported a Warrnambool petrol station owner's campaign to scrap fuel excise.APCO director Peter Anderson said about 38 cents a litre could be shaved off the price of fuel if the tax was abolished.The campaign has come as unleaded fuel in the south-west hovers around $1.60 a litre and at some stations has broken the $1.70 mark.Mr Anderson said the move would help Australian families more than the Rudd Government's $31 billion in promised tax cuts.High interest rates and surging fuel and food prices would quickly swallow up the extra $20 a week low-income earners would get, he said.``If the fuel excise was scrapped it would cost just over $13 billion. The tax cuts cost $31 billion,'' Mr Anderson said.``What makes more sense?''Mr Anderson has placed tax information signs on bowsers at his franchisee-run stations across the state.The campaign involves people signing petition forms at petrol stations which are expected to be sent to Parliament in mid-July.Mr Anderson said most people did not know how much they were paying in ``hidden taxes'' at the fuel pump.``What we are doing is educating the public about the goings-on with petrol. We are providing people with information they can take away with them. ``Hopefully they will write letters as well to the Government.''Mr Anderson said the petition was the first stage in a campaign which would run to the next federal election.