FUEL price campaigners were left furious last night after Chancellor George Osborne snubbed their repeated pleas for a cut in duty.
He was accused of “betraying” motorists across Scotland by deciding to go ahead with a planned 3p-per-litre increase at the end of the summer.
The SNP branded the decision “highway” robbery and hauliers accused him of squandering an opportunity to create jobs.
His Budget did contain a package to unlock billions of pounds in new investment in the North Sea oil and gas industry.
But tens of thousands of pensioners face losing out under shock plans for a £3.3billion “granny tax”.
Mr Osborne also issued another warning to benefits claimants – revealing a further £10billion of spending cuts on top of £16billion already agreed.
Top earners will get a tax cut after he axed the 50p rate for people on salaries of more than £150,000.
The level at which low earners start paying tax will rise to £9,205 from next year, while child benefit cuts will be phased in for people earning more than £50,000.
And there was a blow for smokers, who started paying an extra 37p for a packet of 20 from 6pm yesterday.
Mr Osborne said it was a Budget that would reward work.
“This country borrowed its way into trouble. Now we are going to earn our way out,” he said.
But Labour leader Ed Miliband said the plans meant millions would pay more while millionaires paid less.
NFU Scotland chief executive Scott Walker said the fuel duty increase was “a blow to all those living and working in rural areas for whom a car is a necessity, not a luxury”.
Mr Osborne said his offshore industry package – legally guaranteed tax breaks on decommissioning and £3billion field allowance west of Shetland – would give a “huge boost” to the sector.
The Treasury expects to net £1.1billion for the public purse from new investment, while industry body Oil and Gas UK said the Budget represented a “very significant step forward”.
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