Truckers and fuel.....

[R1Geezer]

It seems they are after a rebate, should they get one? if so where should the money come from?

[cazzz1975]

up the tax on incomes of 100k or more, pay rises for the rich have escalated unlike the low wage earners that have stagnated.

[RevFunk]

Never going to happen unfortunately.

The govt needs to be looking at OPEC and the stock market speculators who are driving the price up.

[cazzz1975]

I think the price of oil is high, but the revenue that the government take is much worse

[jake-the-peg]

For those operating low-emissions vehicles, they have a good case. Apparently busses already get them and if they don't then haulage prices will just stoke up infaltion.

Funded from increased VAT on fuel - the only trouble is to ensure that their savings are passed on to the consumer and not simply pocketed by the share holders

[RevFunk]

They'll get their bit one way or another, if its not petrol it'll be something else

[New Judge]

At the current price for petrol (around 113p per litre) the Exchequer is getting about 2p more per litre in VAT than when it was 100p (just a few weeks ago). I haven�t done the sums for diesel, but imagine the increased revenue is about the same.

There is indeed an argument for looking at the base price of oil and how the market operates but you cannot blame high earners or commodity speculators for the government policy of wanting more and more money from the motorist.

There is simply no justification for an increase in duty.

[keyplus90]

I have already decided to buy a horse and a cart. Would the rise in fuel still affect me?

[jno]

given the rise in world grain prices, keyplus, you might do well to find a horse that doesn't run on oats.

[New Judge]

Don't do it, keyplus.

There are lots of people who have horses at the moment. As soon as the government gets wind that people are buying them to avoid motoring taxes they will introduce a retrospective duty on oats, farrier's charges and teeth filing.

[nedflanders]

National Strike anyone? I run an economical diesel +50mpg but i am getting hammered by a greedy government citing "environmental impact" intent on throwing my tax � down the great big hole that is the NHS and the workshy. The British people need to stand up and be counted by calling a national strike like our froggy friends across the water would. Maybe then would the government and the soon to be new government start thinking about taking the pi$$ out of the taxpayer.

[keyplus90]

I was thinking that horse will eat grass and will keep my back garden in shape. I will sell my lawn mower and make some money, save on electricity, By product of the horse's digestive system would give me fuel as fuel prices are also on the rise. But I would re-consider my options after your kind advice.

[sddsddean]

The rates aren't going up (yet!), but guess who will pay in the long run. Either the shoppers, by prices going up, or the taxpayer, by the government getting the money somewhere else. Foreign trucks come in to this country and pay no road tax (we have to if we go to Europe) and of course buy no fuel here. I'm out of long distance haulage now, so my fuel bill isn't as bad as it used to be. Howevr, on my 8 wheel tipper on local work I am still putting in about 900 pounds a week!! Fuel is now about 40% of my outgoings. Bring on the essential user rebate!

[jake-the-peg]

Matter of interest does anybody know if Cameron has said whether he would reduce fuel duty.

I do recall he was happy enough to air green credentials driving around on a husky sled and cyclying to work.

Now there's an unpopular green decision to be made - let the price of fuel stay high to push down usage, or cut fuel taxation resulting in no change in behaviour.

Has he been out putting his popularity where his mouth is or is he hiding in his kitchen?

Anybody know?

[Booldawg]

Why dont they charge foreign motorists to use our roads? - like the French do. The extra revenue can be used to offset the ridiculously high rates of fuel and road tax we pay.

[ceejay123]

Why dont we just invade another Mid-east country and nick thier oil as WELL!!!!!!!!!

[Ice.Maiden]

The top and tail of it is, the government want the riff-raff off the roads. Keep them in their place! The end result is - this, and probably a subsequent government won't last for very long!

[birdie1971]

What gets my goat is that the second there is another dollar price rise on a barrel of oil, one second later the prices at the petrol stations increase. This is despite the fact that the oil companies have already bought several millions gallons of the sticky stuff at the lower rate and have several month's worth of reserves. But they hit the public immediately even though they bought the current oil at the lower rate. It stinks - both literally and metaphorically.

Then to add insult to - financial - injury, our wonderfully benevolent Government add on a massive amount of fuel tax.

And to add even further misery to those who have to drive just to earn a living, the Government stick VAT on top of their own tax! Double whammy or what?

To say we are living in an unjust, unfair, sudo-dictatorship is an understatement.

[birdie1971]

Keyplus - Don't buy a horse! Didn't you know they f*rt and give off CO2? You'll be contributing to Global Warming! You evil CO2 polluter, you.

Oh.... hang on. I'm trying to remember my school chemistry / biology lessons....

Ah... now I remember. CO2 isn't a pollutant after all. It's coming back to me now... Yes, CO2 is what I'm "made" of. It's what you're "made" of. It's what all living things are "made" of.

OK scratch that. Buy a horse. In fact, buy a dozen. And if you live anywhere near me, me and my wife will help you muck 'em out at the weekend.

[jake-the-peg]

Back to school Birdie.

Methane (horse f*rts) are about 60 times worse as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.

And you may have a lot of carbon in you but I doubt you're made of CO2 - otherwise you'd just be hot air

Oh well maybe then

[cazzz1975]

maybe we need to start feeding them bio oats?