FARMER John Dennis drives a Toyota Landcruiser. He is a former chairman of North Yorkshire County Council and lives at North Farm, in Kirby Sigston, near Northallerton, North Yorkshire.

Drivers are always apprehensive when the budget comes round, but a lot of people don't realise that 4x4s are essential for the survival of many rural businesses, including farmers. If the price of fuel goes up as well as the tax it will be a real double whammy.

It will be difficult for most people, but for some people, a large increase in tax might mean the difference between their businesses surviving and not surviving. 4X4s are not the most economical of vehicles, but for a lot of farmers they are their only vehicles - they are multi-purpose because they can't afford to run two vehicles.

In urban areas, I can understand the Government trying to cut down on congestion. In London, you see a lot of mothers on the school run driving 4x4s, or people out doing their shopping and blocking up the roads. Some of the 4x4s are as much a status symbol as anything.

It is wrong to penalise people trying to run their businesses when it is not them who are causing the problems in city centres.