Rethink
hint over fuel duty rise in January 2013 during the debate in
Parliament on Monday?
Autumn Statement from George Osborne, the Chancellor of the
Exchequer, is due on Wednesday 5th December 2012.
BBC News item
See our NEWS item ahead of the debate in Parliament on Monday
evening 12th November 2012. More
See our previous NEWS report following the announcement in June
2013 to cancel the planned fuel duty increase due to have come
in for August 2013. More
Figures
from the House of Commons Library last week showed that for
a typical litre of petrol costing 138.3p, a total of 81p —
almost 60 per cent — now goes to the UK Treasury
in fuel duty and VAT. And that is before the 3p increase which
had been planned for January 2013! On a full MGBGTV8 tank that
would be an increase of almost £2.
See our report on the Budget 2012.
More
Posted: 121113
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Anyone
watching the debate in the House of Commons yesterday
evening over the motion tabled by the Labour party
calling for the 3p rise in fuel duty due to apply
from January 2013 to be dropped could clearly see
it was a brazen stunt. Cathy Jamieson ground her
way through the weary case for their motion with
the stench of hypocrisy hanging thick in the air.
Why? Well Labour put up fuel duty 13 times during
their last term in office and introduced an ongoing
programme of fuel |
duty
rises extending well into 2013. The last fuel duty
rise due to apply from August 2012 was dropped in
the Budget statement
earlier this year by George Osborne.
In the debate over Labour's motion Sajid Javid,
the Treasury Economic Secretary, said the Government
understood the pressures facing households and was
"determined" to help with the cost of
living. But quite clearly with the Chancellor's
Autumn Statement due in only 3 weeks time on Wednesday
5th December, it was difficult to announce any tax
change ahead of what is generally regarded as the
second most significant economic event of the parliamentary
year after the annual Budget in the Spring. But
Conservative backbencher Robert Halfon, a prominent
campaigner on the removal of fuel duty, resisted
the opportunity tossed up by Labour members to back
their call for a freeze on fuel duty because he
said ministers were in "listening mode"
on the issue ahead the Autumn Statement.
But keen to steal the credit for any tax reduction,
that did not stop Ms Jamieson pressing on with her
script giving way to the few members behind her
for what looked like planned interventions to support
her grim faced presentation. Her colleague on the
opposition front bench alongside her grinned frequently
leading any viewer to conclude it was pleasure from
seeing such a cheap parliamentary exercise as little
more than an opportunistic stunt.
On a vote Labour's call to delay the fuel duty increase
due in January to at least April 2013 was defeated
by 282 votes to 234, a Government majority of 48.
Let's hope the Chancellor's Autumn Statement will
contain an announcement of at least a delay in the
fuel duty rise until April 2013 and possibly longer.
As usual we will have a report on his statement
within an hour of his sitting down in the House
of Commons on 5th December. |
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