13.02.08 Fuelling inflation
Do you think scrapping the 2p fuel duty increase will help cut inflation?
Inflation is currently running at the highest level since June last year, and rising fuel costs are to blame that's the conclusion of the latest report on inflation by the Office of National Statistics (ONS).
The two indicators of inflation, the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) and the Retail Price Index (RPI), both show an increase. CPI puts inflation at 2.2%, up from 2.1% in December, while RPI shows inflation rose from 4% to 4.1% over the same period. It's the fourth month in a row that inflation has exceeded the government's target of 2%
The report points the finger at a number of factors including food and drink prices, but says the largest upward pressure came from an increase in the price of road fuels. The national average price of unleaded rose 1.3p in January alone, taking it to a total of 103.9p per litre. This time last year a litre of petrol cost 87.5p.
High fuel prices drive inflation because fuel is a fundamental to the infrastructure of the UK. Our food and basic goods are transported using it, and if the price goes up, so does the price of our goods. A small amount of inflation is healthy for the economy, but too much and we start to run into problems - missed mortgage payments, repossessions and unemployment.
Worse still, the report's inflation figures don't take into account the impact that the energy price rises in January will have, because the current model assumes it will take up to 4 months for the price rises to take effect. The full effects of inflation may also have been dampened by a decrease in clothing costs and cut-price offers on the High Street, which effectively offsets the problem of high food and fuel. Economists are warning that this, combined with two further 2p increases in fuel duty planned for April and October, will mean inflation will hit 3% by the end of the year.
The freight industry sent a letter this week to the Chancellor, asking him to scrap the 2p a litre increase planned for April, and in a letter to the Daily Telegraph, 11 leading business figures argued that they were being hit simultaneously by a slow down in the economy and rising fuel costs.
It said: "At 50.35p a litre, UK fuel duty for diesel and petrol is already the highest in Europe. Indeed UK diesel duty is double the EU average rate of 25p a litre. The chancellor now plans to increase this by 2p per litre from 1 April.
"Such an increase will generate further serious difficulties for the transport and forecourt industries, business drivers, those dependent on the car, and for businesses or individuals in remote or rural areas with no alternative transport options."
Have you noticed an increase in living costs? Are you worried about the effect that further inflation rises will have on you? Do you think the Bank of England is capable of controlling inflation?
Your Comments
Click here to add your comments
Yes I feel it. Rent is going up, council tax and worst of all the money spent to make money (transport).
Incapacity benefit is begining to look more and more attractive.
If 2p increase,is not implemented,where is Darling going to get the extra
cash that is needed.Non-doms,no, you and i.The super rich,slip away again.
To enjoy there lavish lifestyles at our expense.
The Mayor of London's office has just confirmed changes to the city's congestion charge that will sting owners of cars emitting more than 225g/km of carbon dioxide to the tune of £25-a-day.
The new congestion charge will come into force on October 27 2008. It is described by the London authority as "the world's most ambitious scheme to reduce the contribution of urban traffic to greenhouse gasses", and "a key part of the Mayor's Climate Change Action Plan which aims to reduce London's CO2 emissions by 60 per cent by 2025."
Although suggestions had been made to the contrary, Mayor Ken Livingstone has been true to his word and will provide a 100 per cent discount to the charge for cars than emit less than 120g/km of CO2, and are EuroIV-emissions compliant. That means owners of the likes of the Mini Cooper D, VW Polo Bluemotion and Ford Fiesta TDCi, as well, as those of the Toyota Prius and Smart Fortwo, will be able to drive through London for free.
According to TfL statistics, 17 per cent of the cars that currently enter the charging zone are in VED tax band G, and will qualify for the £25 charge. Just 2 per cent using the zone are in tax bands A and B, and will therefore go free - but that figure is sure to rise once the changes come into effect.
If you drive a car registered before September 2001 with an engine bigger than 3000cc, you'll also be subject to £25-a-day. Rather arbitrarily, that means if you drive a W-reg BMW M Coupe (which is a low, four-meter car, and therefore not a big contributor to congestion) you'll have to pay £25-a-day, but a diesel-engined Range Rover of the same age would get in for just £8.
In justifying the change, Livingstone said: "nobody needs to damage the environment by driving a gas guzzling Chelsea Tractor in central London. The CO2 charge will encourage people to switch to cleaner vehicles, or public transport."
"Those who choose to carry on driving the most polluting vehicles will help to pay for the environmental damage they cause. This is the "polluter pays" principal."
THIS REPORT FINALY PROVES THAT THE FUEL DUTY HAS 0 TO DO WITH HELPING THE ENVIRONMENT. YOU STILL WONDER WHY INFLATION IS GOING UP?
Don't worry while you moan and do nothing about things more of this is on its way.
We do not need to increase anymore tax on fuel as we have our own North sea oil, besides all the tax on fuel should be scraped
THE COST OF CRUDE OIL HAS COME DOWN BUT HAS IT AT THE PUMPS NO BUT THEY ARE QUICK ENOUGH TO PUT IT UP WHEN THE PRICE RISES THERE SHOULD BE SOMEONE TO MAKE THIS AFFECTIVE
i got fed up with prices going up i have now switch to biodiesel fuel i now pay 97p a litre instead of 110.9 a litre for diesel if you want more info please feel free to visit info@bioukfuels.co.uk or call 0114 2445603
Another increase is absurd! All our bills keep going up so quickly its getting to a point where I am thinking of emigrating! Why does the fuel duty have to keep going up? Why cant it be kept the same or even drop a little. Can't they give us a break instead of bleeding us dry?
Fuel has gone up over 10p a litre in the last few months and the prices today are ridiculous. All that effort to keep prices below £1 a litre was worth it but as many predicted, as soon as the £1/litre barrier is broken the prices have rocketed. Is it not going to stop until fuel reaches £2/litre??
I sold my 2 litre petrol car to drive a small engined diesel car due to fuel prices and the recent increases are still hitting my pocket harder than I am happy with.
And after all this, how much will my wages go up this year? Not as much as the fuel, food and other bills have I bet!
Living in rural Dorset where public transport is minimal, I have to use my car to get to work 26 miles away. I am being penalized for working!! I tried to work out a public transport option, would take 2 hours to get to work, 2 changes of train,a bus, then a 10 min walk. Total cost per week? over £150, so that's not a realistic option is it!
All this guff about 'sending out the right message about green policies' is just an easy excuse to push up prices, and satisfy the greenies out there, who probably are too busy tree hugging to work anyway!! Gotta stop now, getting soooooo angry!!
Everything is going up. Fuel is the latest money grabbing scheme from our trustworthy government. are we getting paid anymore? all we B*****s!!! is it a wonder that more and more people are losing their homes. I know if i have to paid out much more then ill be in the same position.
i absolutely agree i have a set ammount to spend on petrol each week the day is rapidly approaching when it will only get me to work 4 days a week instead of 5 then what will i do ask for shorter working hours i can just imagine the bosses reply to that. Nige.
Just had a payrise at work immediately gobbled up by huge price increase in fuel, food. When fuel goes up its immediate unlike pay or other rises. look to cut Goverment ministers payrises!!!!!!!!!!!
Everything is going up, and yes it's because fuel prices are rising. It's not like there is particularly anything that we can ask the government to do about it though. Iraq is still raging (despite what anyone says), Hugo Chavez is threatening to cut oil supplies to the US, Ukraine owes Gazprom $1.5bn for natural gas, and we're all facing recession.
By cutting fuel prices now, the only option is to find that money from somewhere else, and 2p on fuel is a very easy way to pass the need for extra cash through the entire population (hence why everything is going up). If you tried to find it somewhere else, god knows what they'll do.
What does annoy me is that Shell have record profits AGAIN this year. They aren't making barely anything at the pumps, but they are making it by finding new oil and providing extra extraction plants. For me these things go hand in hand, and they should be making a loss at the pumps given how much profit they're making elsewhere (I think around $20bn last year). Unless they're investing ALL of that into new propulsion methods (eg Hydrogen Cells) then I think they need to spread that profit back to their most affected consumers, rather than protecting their hugely profitable endeavours for the shareholders.
The government really isn't to blame here, fuel just costs that much at the moment. Duty is massive, but even if they reduce it to be in line with Europe we wouldn't notice that much difference.
As a Haulier I have just done my last delivery into Europe as I can no longer compete with the prices charged by foreign transport companies who pay a lot less for fuel in their countries, thankyou Gordon Brown.
I am disabled and the car is my only way of getting out of the house. We are now starting to look at whether I really need to get out or whether to save the petrol for another day. My four walls are getting less attractive
For the rest of this year DON'T purchase ANY petrol from the two biggest oil companies (which now are one), ESSO and BP.
If they are not selling any petrol, they will be inclined to reduce their prices. If they reduce their prices, the other companies will have to follow suit. But to have an impact we need to reach literally millions of Esso and BP petrol buyers. It's really simple to do!!
Now, don't wimp out on me at this point... keep reading and I'll explain how simple it is to reach millions of people!!
I am sending this note to a lot of people. If each of you send it to at least ten more (30 x 10 = 300)... and those 300 send it to at least ten more (300 x 10 = 3,000) .. and so on, by the time the message reaches the sixth generation of people, we will have reached over THREE MILLION consumers! If those three million get excited and pass this on to ten friends each, then 30 million people will have been contacted! If it goes one level further, you guessed it... ..
THREE HUNDRED MILLION PEOPLE!!!
Again, all You have to do is send this to 10 people. That's all.(and not buy at ESSO/BP) How long would all that take? If each of us sends this email out to ten more people within one day of receipt, all 300 MILLION people could conceivably be contacted within the next 8days!!! Acting together we can make a difference If this makes sense to you, please pass this message on.
PLEASE HOLD OUT UNTIL THEY LOWER THEIR PRICES TO THE 69p a LITRE RANGE
It's easy to make this happen. Just forward this email, and buy your petrol at Shell, Asda,Tesco, Sainsburys, Morrisons Jet etc. i.e. boycott BP and Esso.
Well, You voted for him. Now you've got to suffer the consequences. Have you not realised yet that petrol tax is just another source of vandalisism on people's life style.
When he's bled dry this well, he'll only look around for the next. They have said they will on no account increase income tax. Do you still want to bet on this.
Incidentally, If you haven't guessed, I'm not talking about Alistair Darling.
I am afraid both the petrol companies and this government are far to greedy, one lot keep there shareholders happy at our expense, while the government are worse than the highway men of history(if caught they were hung).
it's not rocket science to see what's being done to us. only 6 years ago it cost me £60 for a return journey by car to london. we have estimated a similar journey, in the same make and size of vehicle would be closer to £80-£100. this is a 33-66% increase over 6 years, i.e. 5.6-11.2% annual
increase every year for 6 years. average wage increase: 2.2%. i rest my case.
david
As acommunity nurse I'm now spending up to £200 a month, just to do my job. We have seen little increase in the petrol allowance community nurses receive to compensate the rising petrol prices.
it's not rocket science to see what's being done to us. only 6 years ago it cost me £60 for a return journey by car to london. we have estimated a similar journey, in the same make and size of vehicle would be closer to £80-£100. this is a 33-66% increase over 6 years, i.e. 5.6-11.2% annual
increase every year for 6 years. average wage increase: 2.2%. i rest my case.
david
i'm sorry Matt (post 12) i can't agree my friend, it wasn't an oil company that put 2p a litre on fuel last year or that are going to put another 2p on it come the 1st april why is diesel only 90p a litre in the rest of europe and ours is 110p because of tax pure and simple.
I am finding it increasingly more difficult to travel from the village where I live to City centre shops so I have cut down on my spending in any unecessary way.
I suppose the shops I used to frequent are now doing less trade as a result of my friends and neighbours doing the same.
To Joe Public... -- what the frell has Incapacity Benefit to do with this? Those of us who are honest claimants (most of us, regardless of what the media 'tells' you...) of this couldn't survive without it (even though it's a pittance...); and are therefore hit hardest when the only real means we have of getting around gets more and more expensive each month (when IB only goes up by a minimal amount each year... -- and our right to claim it is challenged by both the Government and the ignorant public at every step...). You make it sound like claiming IB is an 'option'. Oh, I so wish it were. But to be short of fifty, and unable to bring in a decent salary to support your family, has got to be the most disheartening thing I know of... (never mind the chronic incapacity that got you there in the first place...).
Secondly: the congestion charge has become a farce. Be honest, it's a tax, now... -- and has absolutely nothing to do with "congestion" whatsoever. Because of it -- even though I now venture into central London less and less -- I have to suffer the indignity of travelling on the Tube, causing myself more pain than my condition already presents.... All I can say in its defence is that it is balanced by the low cost of using an Oyster card... -- but for how long?
(By the way: I own a 12-year-old 4x4.... Why? Because my disability was caused by three reckless drivers over a period of ten years; and I don't feel safe in anything smaller. Thanks, Ken!)
Please be advised that the reference below to '...info@bioukfuels.co.uk ...' is a duff address
Don't the big superstores buy their petrol from BP/ESSO etc? So what good would boycotting the big boys really do?
At the end of the day - if you need your car/van/truck, you're going to need fuel - which means stopping somewhere to buy it and therefore pay what is charged. We can complain until the cows come home, but what can we REALLY do to make a difference?
Darling doesn't need the extra 2p due to the high price of oil. But the Government come up with an excuse of it having environmental impact!!! Tax, tax, tax - just like old Labour but they do it in devious ways these days!!
I am retired, so all increases effect me because my pension does not go up by anything remotely like inflation, let alone RPI.
Interest has just been dropped despite the rising inflation, so what little savings I have are affected.
With regards to the supposed inflation being 2.2%, this is a cruel joke, you only have to look at how the figures are arrived at to see the blatant scam that the government are playing.
As part of the baby boom caused by the war, it angers me to have suffered all my school and working life, overcrowded classes, hard to find jobs, whilst the governments of the day squandered our taxes, instead of giving us a fair return on what we paid for our retirement, including the graduated pension scheme, they pay us a pittance.
If I only had my life again, I would pay nothing into government retirement schemes, they are a rip off, but our day will come at the next election, then I think there will be a shock. More old people mean more votes to those who will help us
My wife and myself are both pensioners. The cost of everything, including fuel seems to be going up, except pensions of course. We spent 50 years working and paying our taxes, now they are taxing our pensions. We can manage OK at the moment but dread to think what life will be like a few years from now.
I am currently taking driving lesson's so it hasn't directly effected me yet as such although i am regretting paying all this money for lessons when i probably wont be able to afford higher fuel costs, higher insurance costs, and higher road tax and the rest.
In directly it has already hit me though, us people that don't currently drive are hit with increased transport prices. My weekly transport bill has increased from £45 per week (taxis and public buses) to £55 for the same weekly journeys, thats a massive increase for 1 persons transport especially when i have no other means of transport (the majority is at 3am when i have left work).
James
The only way to reduce the price of fuel is to join together and target the super stores who sell fuel cheaper than the corporate companies like Esso, if we stop using Tesco etc they will be forced to reduce their prices, once they do this, people will then return to them making the companies like Esso reduce their costs.
As for Government taxes the public need to look at a way in whioch we can stop the continued taxes on us, stop paying council tax they can't put us all in jail as they are full already.
some people are really odd, they blame the big cars for every thing from polluting to being dangerous, well most of the big classy cars i.e 4x4 give off less polution than, than the silly little cheap oil burning noddy cars, the word jealous comes to mind!!
A further Government driven rise in fuel costs will lead to me becoming less competitive in a tough market place. Being a small company everything is highly visible and so there is virtually nowhere to absorb yet another increase which, when it reaches the Treasury, is almost certain to be mis-spent by a Government which has clearly lost the plot on managing our economy.
its all very well saying how the fuel duty/price etc is effecting us but instead of talking lets do something about it. Its no good individuals buying every other day or only buying from certain suppliers it needs a concerted effort and that must involve the haulage industry who have proved before that action by them will make the goverment do something. Lets for once copy the French they wouldn't just sit back and moan about it, direct action is the only answer.
It certainly tells on my income. As usual Pensioners feel it most, my £3.05 increase will not go very far. Infation 2.5%?, where do they get their figures from. What would it be if it was calculated the same way it was in 1997.
It is absolutely diabolical,
I'm a taxi driver and pay out allmost £200 every week for fuel.
When will these increases end, I'm starting to think I would be better off on benefits.
Now the Government is bringing in conjestion charges for Cities too. Where will it end.
I'm paying 112.9p a litre for fuel. What with that and the cost of living going up, whats the betting that my payrise won't reflect the increase come the end of the financial year in March.
FUEL PROTEST NOW !! FUEL PROTEST NOW !! FUEL PROTEST NOW !! FUEL PROTEST NOW !! FUEL PROTEST NOW !! FUEL PROTEST NOW !! FUEL PROTEST NOW !! FUEL PROTEST NOW !! FUEL PROTEST NOW !! FUEL PROTEST NOW !! FUEL PROTEST NOW !! FUEL PROTEST NOW !! FUEL PROTEST NOW !! FUEL PROTEST NOW !! FUEL PROTEST NOW !! FUEL PROTEST NOW !! FUEL PROTEST NOW !! FUEL PROTEST NOW !! FUEL PROTEST NOW !! FUEL PROTEST NOW !! FUEL PROTEST NOW !! FUEL PROTEST NOW !! FUEL PROTEST NOW !! FUEL PROTEST NOW !!
Get rid of Mr Brown.......
make no mistake about it, there will in time put up the price for biodiesel fuel, as soon as they see its a money spinner.
When fuel goes up in price the more money the Government gets from VAT. They should not need to increase the duty. 2 pence a litre is 9 pence a gallon,just incase anyone has forgotten.
The only time that this government is going to listen to what is being said is in a run-up to a General Election. We, the user of petrol/diesel must keep it in mind when, at last they do call an election exactly what they have been putting us through. If we all vote against them, it will put them back into history. But only if we have got a memory and determination.
I am led to believe that TESCO is infact the largest seller of Fuel in the uk. Perhaps hitting TESCO's Forecourts would therefore bring a speedier response to reducing Petrol Prices than BP/ESSO?
this is a big time con i am amongst a bunch of student who have to travel and public transoprt is a joke and petrol prices are just getting stupid. everytime you hear about prices rising i just see red. somethings got to be done!
I'm a postman, to save time in the mornings I use my car to help me get home quicker so I can look after my son, so my wife can go to work in the afternoons.
This is however looking more and more unbenificial as the price of fuel goes up.
Every Friday I used to put in £20 of petrol, and last me the week. I do the same these days, but now either on a Tuesday or Wednesday I have to put in an additional £10. This adds up to £40 a month extra. Which is a serious amount of money to myself and most of all to my family to lose. It means my kids lose out doing one of their many hobbies they have to brighten their lives up. I will have to consider like most fellow Postmen in my office have done already, start catching the vans in the mornings, and have my bags droped to me. Which normally adds at least an hour and a half to my day. Which means my wife will be late for work.
its funny thow, cos eveyone said they wouldnt stand for it anymore, and that was at 80p a litre, now its over a pound, and you are still shouting, i suppose we will still be doing the same when its £5.00 a litre.
yes i am feeling it we have two cars and public transport isnt an option for the time and distance my partner and i have to travel to work
it also costs me £12 per week to go through the tyne tunnel
all of these increases are making it more expensive by the day JUST TO GET TO WORK
With the economy slowing down, a recession is very likely. The last thing the UK economy needs, by this out of touch Govt, is a further cut in people's disposable income, by increasing fuel duty, in addition to other ever increasing taxes.
I'm self employed & I have had a weekly business breakfast meeting for the last 8 years with 20 other small businesses. IMHO Small businesses are the backbone and barometer of the UK economy. The typical answer now to the weekly question of how is business, is the most depressing I can ever remember, quite often now the answer is simply "dead"!
We need a General Election now, not in 18 months time, to remove this pigheaded, arrogant, deceitful Govt before even more record levels of bankruptcies/redundancies/repossessions occur.
We also need the promise of referendum on the EU Treaty fulfilled now, because pretty soon it won't make any difference at all which Govt we have here as 100% of our legislation will come from the EU instead of the 80% currently.
As for trying to justify the fuel duty increases, by thinking "oh they'll just tax us somewhere else", what kind of a defeatist attitude is that. We just have to make sure we remove this tax & waste Govt asap.
Don't start me on the theory of man made global warming, being caused by CO2 and therefore we deserve high levels of tax on fuel, £25 per day congestion charge in London etc. - what a load of tosh. Just do a search for "The Great Global Warming Scandal" Channel 4 documentary on youtube. Brilliant documentary, that deserves to be repeated on a daily basis to offset all the claptrap produced by the IPCC/Govt
We should really look at the underlying reasons for the rise in fuel prices. These are two-fold, and rather simple:
1. The USA is printing money as a short-term means of resolving its economic problems. This is the underlying reason for our inflation.
2. The pointless (and criminal, but that's another debate) war in Iraq makes the supply of oil much more expensive.
It doesn't affect me too much, even though I have two cars (one modern, one classic) as I do less than 1,000 miles a year combined. But I really feel for those who have to drive every day and have no public transport alternative. Our railway systems in particular, are absolutely shocking.
FUEL STRIKE LIKE BEFORE BRING THE UK TO A STOP THEN THE GOVERMENT WILL LISTEN
Ciouncil Tax Frozen
Council Rents +5%
Water Rates +5%
Petrol +5%
basic foodstuffs [ie bread , milk] +2.5<>5%
etc
UK Pensions & Benefits +1.8%
would someonme else like to do the math and tell me that Nulabour are the Peoples' Party!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Don't blame your LA, all finance is approved by the Treasury!
and from this we're expected to save!!!!!!!!!
MP's think shame for your greed
It gets worse and worse - in earlier times this unelected 'Prime Minister' and his predecessor would have found their heads impaled on a spike on London Bridge for treason against the Nation. Oh for the 'old times!!!'
All talk of linking high duty rates to saving the planet is hogwash. It is simply TAXATION. In France, diesel is around 1 euro/litre
Compare the price of gasolene in the USA - around $3-4 a [US] gallon and remember they are one of the world's biggest gas guzzlers.
MAD
We ain't seen nothing yet on food and fuel prices (for example, today the one-year future price of a barrel of oil is $120.67). Analysts talk about "shocks" causing upward movements in these prices. In fact, food and fuel prices are moving inexorably upwards because of the triple whammy of global warming, population growth and peak oil. None of these 3 causes will be going away anytime soon - quite the reverse. Brace yourself for a decade, or two or three or more of harder and harder times. Believe me, we're entering a new world era where the demand for food, water and other natural resources (including energy) will increasingly outstrip the mankind's ability to extract these resources from the earth and supply them to you and me and 9 billion other humans.
yes we are feeling the rath of the chancellor - he looks like adding 2p a litre on april fools day for us to make us look like fools for putting up with this ridulous tax on fuel.
food goes up as fuel is needed to transport the goods - its a win win situation for the government.
Well the increase in fuel price has affected how I drive: I've got a motorbike for the trip to work (why do I need a small car that does 50mpg to travel the same 10 mile trip every day when a bike does it faster and cheaper?) That gives the govt more money (extra road tax) which is fair enough. Whenever I do drive to places, I always *think* about where I want to go in the next few days, and try and travel to places on the same day, in as round a trip as possible, so I save fuel, save money, and realistically I *am* putting out less CO2 into the atmosphere. The price hike has done that to me.
As for food and industiral transport. Well, it's about time the manufacturers got off their backsides and thought of a better way of transporting goods. Canals and Trains are far better choices, and they keep our roads in better condition.
Yeah, the government could handel the money they get better. But I'd like to see any of us do a better job. running a country is a hard job to do.
Could someone please explain why the stupid greenies believe that the environment can be fixed with money?
One of the reasons fuel prices are rising is due to a little bit of unrest in the area of Iraq. Oh and yes you guessed it the people who caused the unrest are also the people who are taxing you out of existance.
The answer is to vote out these politicians and put in only those who will reduce our burdon. You don't like congestion charge then don't vote the idiot back in as mayor of london. Dont forget he caused a hell of a lot of trouble when he lead the GLC - do we ever learn by our mistakes?
By the way CO2 has no bearing on Global Warming - Volcanoes do???
Hi Brendon;
Look! I drive an old VW Camper all over the country & go to Newquay every year In the second two weeks In July! I tell you that because TWO yrs ago I stopped as I allways do In Somerset to re-fuel. As I come from Nottingham this I use for my 2nd fuel & night stop! when I left Nott'm I was paying 89.9p per ltr It gradually rose the further South I went! why?? I had to pay £1.09p per Ltr In Somerset & even more In Newquay unless you went to Morrissons! what I'm getting at Is that although a large amount goes on duty there Is also a lot of grabbing going off with the Garages!! Regards
I never use Tesco fuel the main reason being that they increase prices before my local Shell Station. I don't know how they get away with the logo on their tankers. "Why pay more" or is it "Why pay through the nozzle"
Very little to do with global warming. Just another stealth tax. They are looking forward to the day they can devize a way to charge a tax on e.mails. That will happen before long I am sure.
I totally agree, when I started my job about 1 year and 1 month ago I had calculated exactly what my travel cost was going to be and at that time my wage packet seem a very lucrative proposition and I took it. I am regretting the decision now and it is very expansive to do 50 miles round trip 5 days a week on a VW Golf diesel, although diesel is suppose to give you better mileage, but increase in congestion and other factors not taken into consideration at are also to blame.
i am getting sick of England now. I used to love it, and would always staunchly defend it from its detractors. But now, with the price of fuel getting ever higher, combined with the high cost of everything else (indirectly due to the high cost of petrol too) and our fast disappearing civil liberties, i no longer defend as i did, and am seriously considering emigrating abroad.
Had enough. Just. Had. Enough.
This is just the start of tax hikes and fuel hikes the worst thing that could happen to this country was to win the OLYMPICS the buget is spiralling out of control and the government think takes are in overdrive looking at ways to squeeze us even more
When you reach that certain age, are living in the countryside and are struggling just to run a car for essentials, rising petrol prices hits not just oneself, but ones friends who, naturally, tend to be a similar age. We used to visit each other for lunches, suppers, trips out together, not now, we cannot afford to. Using the phone is not the same. We are getting lonely.
Well, I think fuel duty is good in that it makes you think about which car you drive and take alternatives if they're cheaper and not hugely inconvenient.
I think the congestion charge helps the environment in the same way. At least though, in London taking public transport is a viable alternative. The problem is that while most people would consider alternative methods of transport than the car, public transport is so poor in this country that it's either not an option at all, or is very unattractive.
For myself, I would love not to have to drive to work. I'm looking for a job nearer home where I can ideally walk or cycle. I live about 15 miles from where I work, and it's motorway almost door to door, it takes me about 15 to 20 mins to drive.
I could get here on the train, but it's 10 mins walk away, only comes once an hour, and then I'd have to get a bus (every 30 mins, takes 15 mins) and then walk about 2 miles. So that's 15 mins walking with a bit of leeway, 15 mins train, if I'm lucky, 15 mins wait for the bus, plus 15 mins travel on it, then 30 mins walk.
Total time: 1hr 30 mins, or 3 hrs per day instead of 40mins
These absurd costs genuinely make me question my decision to take a post-graduate degree for the job I love. As posted previously - no wonder so many people find life easier on benefit!
If MPs were paid less - it might make more sense. They could then feel the pinch like everyone else and legislate with common sense.
This bunch of comedians in London that are supposed to govern us, could not even organise a p... up in a brewery.
The evidence for that arises from the fact that beer, wines and spirits, rightly or wrongly, will be hammered in the next budget.
And with all the binge drinking, what better way to raise taxes. Of course we drivers always get hammered in the budget. When did fuel last go down in the budget?
Do we know the reason for the planned 4p increase in fuel duty this year ? What is it for ?
As motorists I don't think we ever see any tangiable improvements to roads or transport infrastructure as a result of these increases in Tax.
Is it that the Government are banging the 'Green' drum again. Trying to tax everyone out of their cars; it's just rubbish.
A far better idea to reduce carbon polution from cars, would be to force the car manufacturers to achieve better fuel ecomomy & reduced exhaused gasses.
Why not legislate the Cafe targets instead of making them voluntary. Why not ban the sale of cars that don't achieve an average of 35mpg for example; surely most manufacturers have the technology to achieve this these days.
My parents have often commented on the London smog; I guess this was in the 50's. Apparently, the Government of the day banned open fires, in a bid to improve the air quality. Why doesn't this Government take some decisive action similare to those that Governed before them, and ban all new cars from the UK that don't achieve a fuel efficiency level.
Why? Because, if we were driving vehicles with mandated fuel economy, thus reducing our use of fuel, the treasury would get less money; and that just wouldn't do would it !!!
well the oil companies are not complaining, lovely profits there making and why, because the more they make the government does the shop keepers shuffle, you need action, its the only thing this government understands, direct action, getting it of your chest on here is one thing, but thats what the government likes, keeps things quiet, no media you see, but action means media and then the people realize you are right, i was on the petrol protests in yorkshire, it got us noticed, thats what you need.
I don't know about anyone else but I think prices are going up all the time - when you think of gas and electricity, council tax etc etc. I don't know in what parallel universe the Government lives. I suppose if you can claim what seems to be unlimited expenses, you don't count the cost of price rises like the rest of us!
I work as an estate agent and spend on average £50 per week filling my car up to travel into work, visit people and go home again, I can spend between £250 - £300 per month in petrol alone just to work to earn the money.
It's no wonder so many people that I see are leaving this country. Average Joe can't afford to live on a day to day basis while the rich kids do what they want, when they want in whatever cehicle they want.
Petrol needs to come down, I've noticed it drop by a couple of pence in the last week at petrol stations, Tesco's are selling Unleaded at 101.9p a litre.
Remember when petrol cost 49p a litre?? Those were the days!
Why is it fuel prices are going through the roof, greed, having seen the BP/Esso profits for the last year,it fills me with discuss. Businesses have to make profit to exist but the amount of profit should be Governed, pay does not match the rising prices, and it certainly does not help to see had working people being put out of their homes while outsiders coming into this country who have put nothing into the economy get free housing and handouts to go with it. This Government is a big con they do not sort problems but make money from them, if they were really serious car manufacturers would be stopped from making vehicles which cause these gasses in the first place.
OMFG Again we being stiched up go-to america and you can run our car for twenty quid a tank but here oh no not the nanny state of britain taking the piss outtta of us what with road tax, charges everything it costs nearly 50 quid to fill my tank sort it out init , but no we carry on being stung and in the end there will be more scrap cars sitting on the kerb than cars running on the roads, people wont be able to afford new cars and all the old ones will pollute more than ever than the new energy efficent ones of today and then we be blamed for causing global rising and the n on and on its a vicious circle.
I think the sentiment has been expressed already, but I find disgraceful the way our government uses petrol as a PIGGY BANK. Not that I am that old, but back in the sixties and seventies something like this (which has consistently been happening) would have originated people getting on the streets and claiming someone's job.
In the new century, somehow, we have become a bit too civilized to moan too loudly and make the message clear. Maybe some food for thought.
20p increase in 12 months is absolutely unacceptable, it's not only affecting out pockets in petrol money but the increase of goods we buy everyday. Any wonder people buy a house abroad?
Yes, the tax office set their 'claim allowance at 40p/mile when fuel was around 75p/litre - so we are all losing out - but beware of those who suggest boycotting premier fuel companies - using Esso and BP I can increase the miles per gallon on a full tank by as much as 60 miles compared to Tesco / Asda / Morrison - so you are not really achieving much with your boycott. - My neighbour with a smaller vehicle actually gets close on 90miles a tank extra - so it's worth a try
iTS JUST LIKE INFLATION OF THE 70S ALL OVER AGAIN