Your Comments

This is yet again the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. I cant even afford fuel at the moment, i have to search for the cheapest in my area. I am spending over £40 a week on petrol. Everyone has to pay road tax and tax on fuel (The amounts are outragous). And still the roads are terrible. Nothing is improving. A travelling salesman who is doing umpteen miles a week going up and down the country is paying the same as myself who only use the car for school runs and college. It should be calculated by the number of miles you do. I never thought we would be getting to the £1 a litre. You say use public Transport!!!! Its more expensive than the bloody car!!!!! You say get a Hybrid!! Have you seen the price of them!!! There is NO incentive to convert!!! Lower Road Tax!! Ok whatever!!Shame on this government. They wont change, they are getting too much of a good thing. They are out for themselves. Oh yeah they are rich!!!!

it's about time the road user's of britain got of there backsides and did something to address the government ripoff of motorists. they are paying well over the odds to use the roads mutch more than spain, france, italy, usa, portugal,germany, to name but a few feul in britain £1 00 plus a litre, in the usa the are up in arms at $3.00 a galon, that is aproximatly £1.50 for 4 litres (this is becaus there galon is slightly less than ours)
also we have more reveue raising camaras than any were else in the world, and on top of all that they are bottle necking roads at alarming rate in order to bring in road charging .the mortorist in britain is subsidising all other tax payers,only a fraction of the money collected from mortorists goes back to them ,and when it doe's it is in things that they do not want ,like speed
bumps camarsas and what is laughing called traffic calming mesure's.and all though the price fuel is very important. it is only the tip of the iceburg in rip off britain the price new car,s are more expensive thane in europe and usa. So bring on the protests and i for one will not complain if there are fuel shortage's,we must tell this greedy self opinionated grasping rabel that once called thenselves the goverment who are now totaly in cahoots
with the ever more grasping capitaists who are trying to put back into were they think is our place where they get off before it is to late

As a business transport user, the vast amount of fuel I pay for is used to conduct my business - traveling around the UK on business and delivering product orders to customers, both business and private. This protects me initially from most of the effect of any increase in costs, as I simply add it to the price of the goods and services I provide - exactly as most businesses do.

Thus the ordinary person in the street is hit several times by any fuel increase as (s)he has to pay extra, not only for any personal travel, but also for any goods bought that had any part of them shipped by road at any time (virtually everything).

This in turn hits businesses on the rebound, as:
i. customers resist the price rises, putting sales under extra pressure
ii. employees need higher wages to cover the extra travel costs
iii. any business that sells anything is subject to the costs incurred by a customer, as well as their own.

It is interesting to note that the people who decide these things are paid travel expenses by the very people who have to pay these ill-judged levies and travel to work in large, thirsty, chauffeur-driven vehicles that they decry our use of. They might have a bit more sympathy if their travel to work costs were bron by themselves - the same as ordinary working folk.

I am fully in favour of fuel protests, even if they disrupt the use of my car. I shall not panic buy. If I cannot get fuel I shall garage the car and stay at home as I cannot get to work without it. Of course this would also mean I couldn't get to the shops. Public transport is a joke in towns as well as the country. Frequent price hikes mean it is still more expensive to use than my own car!
If the fuel protest involves boycotting a major supplier, I hope every outlet for that supplier is identified and included. I am thinking of the supermarkets, they must get their fuel from somewhere. Once upon a time they would sell fuel a few pence lower than elsewhere. Not any more. Every outlet where I live now sells at the same price.
Ultimately a protest at the polling station is where it will hurt the most. If everyone, I mean everyone spoilt the ballot paper it would send a clear and definate message that we aint gonna take any more!

I am a proffesional entertainer who travels extensively to work largely in the licensed trade and have no choice but to use my own transport (diesel van) as I carry alot of equipment. I have done over 3000 gigs and brought pleasure to thousands of people.

BUT

The continued fuel hikes over the years have crippled my businness to the point of extinction. Motoring expenses account for 80% of my costs, which rocket up year on year and my fees have stayed the same or fallen!

Nobody cares, least of all the pontificating idiots in Westminster with their cosy expense accounts and massive pay rises.
I will have to join the growing ranks of Brits leaving the country to live and work abroad cos they cannot put up with this ridiculous fuel policy that is driving us out of businness.

Peter No 56, what planet you living on. every year our commitee members do poppy appeal and one person used 3 tanks of petrol, last year it cost us aprox £96-00. This year it has cost us in excess of £130-00. Plus I need my car to get me around being disabled,like many others here in uk. so get your brain back into gear, perhaps it needs a clean out, I dont think that you are that thoughtless are you ?. Lets go for the protest, hit Shell & BP not bad idea either.

Hi people. If you support the protests, then please please please show your support when we give out our next release on our website on Wednesday!

I know there is discontentment at the high taxation levels on fuel now, and whilst we had tactics that worked in 2000, they dont work now. We have a much better way of doing this without causing inconvenience to the public. If the moderator and administrator of this "forum" doesn't mind, I will post our website address - www.transaction-2007.com I dont want to be seen as hi-jacking another forum and this is not the case. However, I /We would relish your support in our campaign and direct you to our website.

Its about time this Government was MADE to listen and have some of it's own medicine! Stand together with us and be heard on the day(s). Register your support on our forums and be there when we go to war.

Your support is very much needed.

Best Wishes
Chris (Site Admin and Spokesman for Transaction2007)

I am pleased to see at last someone is starting to act on this issue as at the moment Brown has gone into hiding mode.I seem to remeber on first becoming chancellor his making diesal cheaper than petrol due to it being cleaner.I think then that he realised due to everyone looking to change to diesal cars and the higher mpg they were losing out.
When he can send Milliband to the middle east to pledge to some hairbrained idea that we can give £250million pounds to make Isreal and palestine live in peace,then a few weeks later pledge £100 million to Africa.All I can say is look on your own doorstep Gordon your own people need it more than they need the guns at the moment.
After all we are only asking for a little help for us all to keep our heads above the water.

£1.00 per litre? Try £1.10 per litre here in N.Ireland!
The price just seems to increase almost everyday with no real reason as to why.
Heating oil has just cost me £430 for just under 1000 litres.
I haven't seen any pay rise for 2 years.
My grocery bill just gets higher and higher yet we are told inflation is still at or below 2%. How can this be?
I AGREE WE SHOULD PROTEST BUT LET'S NOT HAVE A REPEAT OF THE SCENES OF 2000.

How much does Brown take out of our £1 per litre?
We are almost the dearest in Europe and yet we are an Oil producer.
How do we compare with other oil producers?
What is the current total take from the motorist, incl fuel duty, VAT, Road Tax, Initial Reg.Fee, MOT, 5%Insurance, Sale of personalised Numbers, Spot Fines for Speed & parking, Court Fines etc.?
R.J.

My wife and myself are both working as Staff Nurses in a hospital which is 9 miles away from our home. We should be on the floor exactly before 7.30 in the morning and my duty finishes between 21.15 to 22.00hrs or even later than that! There are no train or bus services suitable for our timings. We have to totally rely on our cars.(We have a 2 year old son as well)The fuel prices are hiking day by day. Even if the Petrol price has gone up to 5Pounds/Litre we may still have to relay on, unless we have to apply for an unemployment benefits!
Please the GOVT may have to act something ASAP. Many Thanks.

We need to protest big time, I've had enough after last fill up £67 in a transit van. Customers won't pay anymore so what are you supposed to do, get a horse and cart ?

Fuel is dollar based worldwide I believe, we now we get $2+ to the £ against $1-50 5 years ago so where is all this money going ?

Mugged off by the chancellor, mugged off by the local council I'm a licensed taxi operator (hackney carriage) of 34 years standing, never have I been so hard up I can no longer afford to maintain the vehicles properly like I used to it's all going back in the fuel tanks, unlike the bus companies we do not get a fuel subsidy nor can we increase the fares to compensate for the rise in fuel prices as the fares are governed by the local busy bodies and curtain twitchers on the local council . The vehicles I operate now are the oldest I've ever owned in 34 years as a Taxi operator, they used to be replaced every 3 years but not any more, I can't afford to replace them as all the profits are going back in the fuel tank with very little left to live on .

If Canada and the USA can sell petrol at half the price it is in the UK, then why can't the UK do the same? We are taxed to death in this Country, VAT, Council Tax, Income Tax, National Insurance Contributions that are triple that of North America's, Fuel Tax on flights and probably many more taxes that I can't think of right now.

Perhaps it's time for a revolution? Count me in!

Don't forget..... it's a double whammy. Not only is the fuel taxed, but V.A.T. is charged on top as well.. Rip off Britain is an understatement.

We cannot do without fuel in rural communities, maybe if all drivers bought their fuel from supermarkets only, the main petrol companies (BP, Texaco.Murco, Esso and their subsidiaries) will complain to the government as to their loss of profits.

We get charged road tax, fuel tax (+VAT), congestion charges, parking charges, speed cameras (ok maybe off topic), whatever, its about the people made their voices heard. NO LONGER THE SILENT MAJORITY!!!

I was a bit disillusioned in 2000 that the government and media saw the protest as one mounted by the commercial transport industry. This time round it needs to involve everyone who feels they are being bled dry by excess duty on fuel.

I am surprised that the government can add VAT to the full price of petrol. Petrol duty adds no "Value" to petrol, so why are we paying Value Added Tax on the Petrol Duty?
In addition, the Inland Revenue have failed in their duty to adjust the AMR as the current value is based on petrol prices of 80p/litre and adjustments are supposed to be implemented either annually or once the price has exceeded 10% of its previous assessed value.
If the government want to cut down on "greenhouse gases" maybe they should abolish both houses of parliament and the U.K.'s CO2 emissions would be cut in half.

I dont have kids,so why should I pay for others schooling,I dont fly so why should my taxes subsidise aviation fuel? I already pay road tax which is unbelievably unfair a car is a car no matter what size, petrol is taxed god knows how many times before it is actually burnt in my engine, so yeah let us kick up a fuss and make them see the people of the UK are NOT afraid to show how they feel

BROWN if you think that losing 25 million names was bad , wait until you start losing 25 million pounds ..per day

I THINK ITS ABOUT TIME THIS GOV STOPS CHEATING THE PUBLIC OUT OF MONEY...PEOPLE LIKE ME WHO HAVE DISABLED CHILDREN FIND IT DIFFICULT AS IT IS ALREADY WITHOUT THE TAX & VAT PUT ON EVERYTHING I AM ALL FOR THESE PETROL STOPS AND WHISH I COULD DO MORE

Maybe Mr Brown would like to explain why US forces over here including their families using OUR roads, are driving around at discounted fuel by OUR Government to the tune of only 80P per GALLON! Yes, GALLON not LITRE!

something needs to be done ,all my money seems to go on petrol .

i'm single, earn twice what my neighbour does and cannot afford to move out of my parents house because any money that i do make i seem to spend on petrol.. whereas she works from home.. which is fine if you can.. bt not everyone can..
public transport is useless and i've already ruined one car travelling over the border into the south of ireland to buy cheaper fuel which played havoc with my engine.. the southern petrol stations near the borders are providing rubbish quality petrol cheaply because they know we are all too broke to buy petrol in the north of ireland at the rate its at... i mean can the government not work it out.. why on earth would they want me throwing money into another country's economy because they cant do simple maths!

Once more its the ordinary working man / woman thats hit. In the pocket - where it hurts the most.

Fuel prices, not just petrol prices have soared in Britain, with the highest price hikes anywhere in Europe.

I'm in total favour of anything that makes this money hungry / grabbing government sit up and take notice.

After all - we (the public) didnt vote this PM in - so why should we have to shoulder his legalized extortion?

This greedy government of ours doesnt care about the people of this country,its one rise after another.They should be chucked out and give someone else a chance.Gordon Brown and his group havent got a clue,they lie there way through most things and just feather thier own nests. Its about time the British people started standing up for thier rights,if we dont they will bleed us dry (wait for the next council tax rise!) COME ON BRITAIN DO WHAT THE REST OF THE WORLD DOES AND TAKE A STAND.

The only way forward and has always been the way, the proper way. Hand in hand each and everyone of us stand together in what we believe. Only then we'll we achieve a balance. The scale has been tipping for quiet a while in the government's favour. It's time we put it right. It is a shame. The government is meant to be our protector and they're suppose to look after our well being especially the younger and elder. Instead they're making us all homeless little by little, families are not being given the chance to develop into a proper family. What chance do we have or for that matter our children have? Is it not enough? When are we going to stand together as one and fight for what is legally ours? I really hope for our sake, our children's sake and our elderly's sake.......very very soon. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to calculate the effect of fuel cost going up......big corporations never pays the bill. It's always the people. Half of that fiver for just a gallon would pay a child's dinner at school for two days, probably the heating for a couple of days for an elderly person and God knows how far it would stretch for most families....If that's not taking the food out of people's mouth Mr Government then I don't know what is. Let's do it people......it's about time we do something, whether it affects you or not, we are all part of this nation.

There is not a country in the civilised world that would tolerate this type of legalised robbery from their government.
I have been very interested to read some of the comments on this blog and it is clear that some kind of action is necessary to halt this nonsense.
Personally I think that the oil companies deliver amazing value for money when you consider what actually is involved in producing a litre of petrol but the government does absolutely nothing for it's cut other than rely on the British public's reliance on the car.
And I would personally love to see what would happen to the public transport network if we all decided to use it instead of our cars. It can just about handle the level of usage it gets now. It would quite simply meltdown.
I think the crisis point has been reached now and, while this goverment didn't introduce the fuel levy, it is certainly exploiting it now. That cannot be allowed to happen any longer. If it means things get uncomfortable for a few days then so be it.

This protest is long over due and its time us motorist took a stance they want us in Europe then give us Europe prices?

I think the duty on fuel is excessive. This government is so greedy. It keeps taking advantage of the motorist who would appear to be the easy touch for their ever higher taxes.

It's high time this unbeliveable greedy bunch of crooks were removed from office, they are more tory than the so called torys (highway robbers) and this price hike is a levy on the british public to pay for an illegal war that nobody except the bankers want anything to do with, (there are obscene profits to be made from war) and we as motorists are paying for this scam VIVA the revolution and I support any action againsed this criminal govmnt

Being one of the many thousend disabled drivers I rely on my car to get around, my wife does not drive and we have one bus a week where we live why does this goverment penalise the motorist with heavy fuel duty, even the domestic oil price at 42.75 a litre our only means of heating is disgusting, we are both OAP's but what ever action you take we will be 150% with you.
Come on GREAT BRITAIN WAKE UP TO THIS RIP OFF.

Whilst I condemn the ridiculous high prices of petrol, mostly due to to the exhorbitant tax that has been added to the cost, this is a government which much surely be one of the most corrupt governments we have had to endure. They are not interested in people's opinions unless it can feather their nest. The only answer is to vote them out!

Quite typically the Government have used the motorist as a soft target for fuel price increases. However, there are other factors:

1 The dollar has devalued by about 5% recently and oil is paid for in dollars - did we see a reduction? NO

2 The price of oil DID fall recently but did we notice a the difference? NO

I'm a law abiding guy but I can see people not paying their Road Fund Taxes - this would result in even more unroadworthy vehicles on the road contributing to more accidents? It's all simple stuff you know - unless you're Gordon Brown

i work in a petrol station and im feed up with customers allways asking why the prices so high. i say to them write to mr bown and ask him.
good luck to those who are doing the protest and lets hope mr brown listens to them.

I live in Cyprus, I support the fuel protests even from out here. I remember the 2000 protests, they had some effect when we hit 75p a litre. Now at £1+ we need to hit them harder.
I dread having to come to rip off uk to visit relatives, once fuel was just a chip from the weekly budget. Now It has to be budgeted for just like Gas and Electric is.

I will definately support any strike action.
Goodbye Labour after a lifetime of voting for them, where will I go next?. I have had to refuse an important operation because I cant afford to take a taxi there and back to a hospital 38 miles away. then return 2 weeks later for a check up and have the stitches out on my foot.
I bought a deisal car because it used to be cheaper to run but now we are the only country where dieisal is dearer than petrol.
Take all courtisy cars from politicians let them walk or use public transport, if they have any which coinsides with when they have to get to their appointment , ha ha

I agree with comment 1, I to live in a rural area. It is 30 minutes walk to a regular bus service. The local bus is 5 times a day and does not fit in well with anything. You can't get into Halifax for 9am. It is a rubbish service. We have 2 teenagers. Getting them to the bus or us getting to work is our main petrol consumption. Life would be impossible without a car. In fact areas areas like this would become no go areas. The problem is that it now costs £50 to fill a ford focas. This is becoming very hard to pay. If we sell the car we cant afford to move. We are stuck.

It is common sense - invest in public transport (and for goodness sake but on more than 2 train carriages from manchester to leeds) Do that before petrol goes up anymore? This country will go to the dogs if we dont do this.

I dont think the Goverment has any common sense at all. Roll on the general election!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a hopeless bunch of hypocrites you all are! The whole bloody island is laid down to tarmac and carnage ensues around every corner. It is impossible to walk or cycle anywhere without risking life and limb and walking 100meters is an enathma to most motorists who think it is there god given right to park at the front door of their destination.

You all want cheaper petrol yet Britain is gridlocked. Build more roads I all hear you say, that will solve the problem. Of course it won't because you'll all expect to drive even more. You have to take your children to school because it's not safe to walk or cycle, and of course as soon as they are old enough you all buy them a car!! Every family now has a car per person. Let the cost of petrol rise I say. Then perhaps people will start to think of an alternative stratagy.

The true cost of travelling by car is hidden. Add on the cost of the emergency services and health care every time one of you enjoys a bit of 'over the top' road rage not to mention the extra cost of getting your children to school safely; the true costs of sitting in traffic queues going nowhere, the cost to the planet through global warming or the ripping up of virgin fields to lay more tarmac, the noise, the mess, the complete and utter uselessness of driving by car on this busy island.

And to those taking moral umbrage at the very suggestion that it is not your god given right to drive where and when you want, I say 'get off your fat arse and think!

well what can i say..... after the enormous rise in fuel charges for vehicles, plus heating oil, as i live in the country i feel i have been hit bloody hard, as a hard working person, its about time some one stood up and gave a voice to the ' SMALL' person.
I feel sorry to the lorry drivers who must be either going out of buisness or on the verge... there fuel cost have gone through the roof.... if this counts i fully support ant action you take, and will join you on the picket line!!