Should the government rethink its planned fuel duty rise?

George Osborne would argue that the government needs the additional money from fuel duty to reduce the deficit. Why doesn’t he tackle tax avoidance by the likes of Starbucks, Amazon and Google to achieve this?

Assuming the government wish to raise a certain amount of money via taxation, deferring the rise in fuel duty will merely spawn another tax rise elsewhere: someone’s gain is someone else’s loss.

I also wonder if those who complain have already tried some simple fuel-saving techniques which, if applied, would more than offset the cost – and I don’t mean crawling along at 20mph under the speed limit. In my part of the country (the SE) the mode of driving that most adopt certainly leaves much to be desired from a fuel economy stance.

And has anyone noticed that the bigger/more gas guzzling the vehicle, the more furiously it’s driven?

And another thing…..Claire, you do realise that knowingly driving with defective lights is illegal? If the Police stop you, they won’t be impressed with “I was going to get it fixed but I’m still deciding on where the cheapest place is.”

3p might not sound a lot but it soon adds up to those who absolutely have to use a car.
I often hear some people (usually young, fit, single city dwellers) extolling the virtues of cycling and public transport. All well and good if that works for you. Lots of us are (a) no longer fit enough to cycle (b) nowhere near an efficient public transport system. You don’t need to travel far out of the big cities for public transport to be both expensive and very infrequent if available at all.
I’m sure lots of people will eventually change their cars for more efficient newer models but until the old one gives up the ghost it’s more cost effective to keep it running.
Naturally, using sensible driving techniques will help a lot as will keeping the car properly serviced.
I don’t think there’s much to be done to encourage people into economical cars though. Let’s face it if you can afford a new 20mpg or less large car then 3p on a litre of petrol is neither here nor there. The swingeing road fund tax for these vehicles is a drop in the ocean too for their owners or they wouldn’t have bought them in the first place. The 3p is just punishing more folk who have no choice but to drive but who don’t earn huge wages.

A few thoughts:

It’s just not going to happen , hopefully. I do not see the “motorists” (a la AA spokesman) financing the Chancellor increasingly this way – the fuel escalator. The conditions set for carbon reduction by all of us are extremely demanding and any individual private car user will need to co-operate very diligently by using less fuel – not by paying more to consume ever more fuel!

There are many ways open to any of us to deal with the mobility requirements of our lives. From a better use of the “car” to selective use of the obvious combiination of walking, cycling, car sharing, taxi, rail, bus, air, ferry etc., and from a greater use of avoidance of travel (eg home working, telecommunications etc). All adding up to an increasing number of saved journeys. But all this is obvious stuff.

This does mean a better utilization of the private car for unavoidable jouneys and lots less annual Km travelled with real savings on fixed and variable costs. The tax? Well yes please increase it, if it means reducing even ever so slightly the 400% of public and private debt we all owe as a proportion of the UK’s GDP.

Perhaps if you think the cost of fuel (tax included) is excessive, consider the price of bottled drinks by comparison, even over a longish period. Most are sold by the litre so it should not be too difficult to work out.

Considering the overall cost of private motoring, I suggest there are indeed better ways of disposing of income as a priority just to keep garages in business – and the motor industry buoyant.

Motoring is expensive, so the car users themselves must also clean up their act, not just expect the Chancellor to take more money from us, and adopt proper intelligence in the transport methods we all need to use instead.

Claire, there are some very good points being made by some very eloquent forum members – so perhaps now would be a good time for some comment from yourself as the Which? representative, since indeed you started this conversation (I assume you’re reading the posts?).

I’d like to add: although people complain about fuel costs, once you’ve taken the decision to run a car, pretty much the cost of any journey is the incremental cost of fuel, and especially given the improving fuel economy of cars, the cost per km has decreased relative to household incomes. As a bonus, cars are more reliable and last longer (older folk will remember cars of barely 5 years old riddled with rust).

One key problem is the cost of public transport (let alone its reliability, convenience, safety and cleanliness) compared to fuel costs: even a modest rise in fuel prices still leaves motoring as the far cheaper option, and this, combined with other social factors, has encouraged the hyper-mobility that people take for granted, with the predictable consequences for the environment and congestion. Road pricing – by fuel costs or otherwise – is just one of the ways of trying to redress the balance and encourage an alternative societal model (Robertino makes some good points above)

Tax on fuel is far to great for the Lower paid to get to work.I myself have cut substantially the amount of miles i do.I use to live in a place were a car is an essential now not as much although there is buses they are few but i dislike using them as wavechange says . I hate listening to people jabbering on their phones, playing music, eating pizzas, etc, etc. Young Parents Efin language even with young children only in the last few weeks has my local town got better after redevelopment it has taken far to long sadly we lost a few individual shops that were competitive they could not afford the new rents.On top of Road-tax its to much most of us cannot reclaim travel costs like MPS and the upper-classes who know every Tax dodge

Malcolm r you really bought the media Trade Union bashing Peugeot bought Car plants for £1.00 from Chrysler it then wound down all the plants over the years.Despite excellent more Cars per man; excellent quality; it closed the Ryton Plant in Coventry where there was no Strikes for years wages fell enormously compared to others & the quality was far superior to French Build.Peugeot opened a new car plant in Slovakia then closed Ryton during the last few years before they closed Ryton Shift Patterns were constantly changed so Family persons found it hard both hours of work& child care+low income.Everyone should remember when a big employer Closes it has a massive knock on effect.The EU subsidized the Slovakian Plant at the expense of the British worker. Technology and modern practice will never provide large scale employment.Massey Ferguson was also closed in Coventry but the Belgian plant kept open where their government subsidized it.Those in Whitehall only care about Banks not about Industry the same happened in America look at Chicago.We have to import but do not have to have it all coming though Dover clogging up our motorways.The knock on effect is hitting the high street now the Public schoolboy government ministers do not care about Fuel Prices they Claim it back from the Taxman.