Taxi drivers have begged Premier Paula Cox not to burden them with additional taxes in her budget on Friday.New campaign group the Concerned Group of Bermuda Taxi Operators made the plea yesterday as they outlined a list of concerns about the state of their industry.Group leader Lee Tucker said: “The budget is on Friday and we are pleading with Governement not to add any additional taxes.”He also remarked: “We just cannot accept any more financial burdens.”Taxi drivers got a three month break from payroll tax from January last year. However, they complained that subsequent tax rises in the budget negated the savings they got from that.Chief organiser of the group Terrence Flood alleged that for the past four years under former Premier and Transport Minister Ewart Brown, “the taxi industry has been under siege”.He accused Dr Brown, who stepped down last October, of not listening to their concerns or treating them with respect. Taxi operators say their industry is now at “rock bottom” due to less business and more competition.“We want to service the industry, locals and tourists alike, and we want our fair share of the pie,” said Mr Flood.The concerned cabbies have already had two meetings with Transport Minister Terry Lister. They also plan talks with the newly-formed Taxi Authority.They are hoping the Minister, authority and Premier will listen to their lengthy list of requests, which they unveiled at a press conference yesterday.These include tax breaks, fuel rebates and assistance with additional security measures, as well as protection from minibuses, which they view as unfair competition.They also want to be given a choice whether to use the controversial and mandatory GPS system that was brought in by Dr Brown.And the drivers want Government to let them bring in security cameras for inside their vehicles duty-free. They hope that would cut down the number of robberies drivers have experienced.Mr Tucker said: “We’re right at the forefront of a lot of the problems [in Bermuda] yet we’re not recognised or respected for our situation.“The income for a taxi operator is one of the lowest for the hours we put in.”He said of the camera idea: “It’s part of the solution. In some instances we will be able to pick up some of the culprits and bring them to justice.”However, he said the new technology would have to be coupled with enough police on the streets to respond to calls for help.On the subject of the financial burden the cabbies face, group secretary Leopold Kuchler said they are the highest fuel tax payers in Bermuda.He explained that drivers rack up between 100,000 and 160,000 kilometres on the roads per year and pay $10,000 to $12,000 for gas.Useful website: www.taxibermuda.com.