55% of the petrol price at the pump is tax. If any of the oil used to make the petrol is still allowed to come from a UK field then the total tax rate is much higher given the near penal levels of tax on oil production.
The surging oil price on world markets will put our petrol prices up more. As it does so the government tax take goes up, as VAT is charged on petrol and profits tax on oil production will also rise.
Motor fuels affect us all and put up our cost of living. All our food, drinks and many other items are delivered by truck and van. Most of us use a car or bus or diesel train to get to work, to shops, to schools.
The government tells us it will get the cost of living down. Once again with fuels it turns out they are main price gougers. Today they plan to collect a lot more tax from oil and fuel, whilst pretending to share our pain.
Cut the petrol tax all the time oil prices stay high.
March 12, 2026
No chance John. Only yesterday our mad Energy Minister said it vindicated his stance on Net Stupid.
When you have such criminally Stupid people in charge we have no chance.
We’re sitting on a sea of energy, gas, oil and coal but importing is seen as environmentally friendly.
Coupled with Drax burning whole forests which priduced twice the emissions of coal highlits the hypocrisy of the scam
March 12, 2026
Most MPs, both labour, tory & libdem, still advocate doubling down on net-zero ….utter madness
ReplyNot Tory. Conservatives have a cheap energy get our own oil and gas out policy.
March 12, 2026
Agreed. ‘No chance’.
Meanwhile, I wonder how Starmer is getting on. A couple of months to the local elections. Will he be gone immediately after?
March 12, 2026
@Peter – turn it around on you, who could Labour put into power, that would be more honest and do a better job? Parliament supports 2TK, seemingly know one else. But without a GE there will be no change, and Parliament is not going to ‘vote for Christmas’
The dishonest undemocratic 5 year terms are just that 5 year of distruction
March 12, 2026
As the UK government has never had competence in prospecting and extracting oil, that job has been auctioned to the energy companies. So it’s not our North Sea oil. If extracted, it will be sold by those energy companies at the best price they can get, so the benefit to the UK consumer will be practically zero and the benefit to the energy companies will be maximum.
Good for jobs in Aberdeen though, and the UK government can tax the energy companies a bit more to spend on benefits.
March 12, 2026
“The government tells us it will get the cost of living down.”
Yet everything they do puts it up Net Zero, NI increases, tax increases, frozen and reduced allowances, ever more red tape, the new workers rights bill, train price increases, the war on landlords and the self employed, making tax digital, the wars on motorists, the failure to fix pot holes, the fuel tax increases, council tax increases, minimum wage increases…
A survey in the Sun says 98% want to drill and frack in the North Sea! So much more sensible than Miliband, Cameron, May, Boris, Sunak, Starmer… this is also why we need jury trials retained 12 people a random mix people rather than one establishment blob appointed, lawyer/judge with an eye on promotion!
March 12, 2026
+1
Someone on ITV suggests David Attenborough would be a good and an uncontroversial choice to Replace Churchill on the £5 note.
Well he has a nice narration voice on his beautifully shot nature programmes but he is totally deluded on climate alarmism but then at the BBC you have to be or are fired it seems. So very controversial indeed and wrong.
These Geology and Zoology grads. All science is physics or it is stamp collecting as Rutherford (allegedly) put it!
March 12, 2026
Red Ed says no.
Nothing to say about the Mandelson Report and the Prime Liar “misleading” Parliament when he claimed he knew very little about how close his relationship was with Epstein when he appointed him US Ambassador?
March 12, 2026
Ed would like to tax the car completely off the roads ….and he’s winning
March 12, 2026
Not all cars doubtless Labour politicians would stoll have cars, private jets and helicopters like King Charles. One law for you plebs another for us!
March 12, 2026
And just think: Mandelson advocated for Farage to have his snout in the trough too…..
March 12, 2026
A Heath today:-
It’s double or quits for the civilised world, for the cause of human flourishing, freedom and democracy. Either Donald Trump holds his nerve, crushes the Iranian regime, rides out the oil shock and reopens the Strait of Hormuz, or he and America are finished, exposed as unserious, fickle and incapable of forward planning, a superpower manquée felled by drone-wielding barbarians.
March 12, 2026
LL,
Another Allister reference. This is one of his more melodramatic opinion pieces. It can be ignored.
March 12, 2026
Peter. Not ignored, there’s a lot of truth in what he says. Iran aided by China can choke the western economies by controlling shipping movements through the straights of Hormuz. It’s hugh time the Guld States invested in pipework to transport oil to the Red Sea or Indian Ocean.
March 12, 2026
We shall see. He is usually right!
March 12, 2026
@LL. “The civilised world”. Who is he kidding?
March 12, 2026
There are ‘pager and phone’ type operations and hundreds of drone attacks on Basij roadblocks and checkpoints across Iran. The scale is much larger than initial reports suggested. ‘Body parts everywhere’. The Republican Guard has been told to surrender or die.
Trump and the Prince have told the Iranian population to remain indoors. But in the Ekbatan neighborhood in Tehran a massive Israeli flag is projected onto a massive building by the brave and grateful Persians.
This is a just war and we are winning it.
March 12, 2026
Only about 7% of total energy used by humans in the UK comes from solar (1%) and wind (6%) so virtually irrelevant. In fact less than this if you adjust for the back up needed that makes fossil fuel generators far less efficient to run and for a vast amount of fossil fuels needed to manufacture, fit, maintain, backup and connect these inefficient wind and solar collectors!
Still as UK energy is, thanks to May and Miliband, already 4 times what it should be the % increase might be less than elsewhere. Rather cold comfort!
March 12, 2026
@Lifelogic +1
The destruction goes on.
March 12, 2026
Energy can easily be 20% of the total costs of many goods and services so a 50% increase in energy costs might add 10% to inflation. Even higher for concrete, fertiliser… The good news is coal prices will not rise much and many of out product are made in China using mainly coal energy. Things like wind turbines, solar panels, lithium batteries… As much as 35% of the cost of EV lithium batteries can be the fossil fuels needed to mine, purify & extract materials, manufacture, test and deliver them. Plus you have all the energy used by the workers to leave and get to work. So perhaps a 20% jump in EV car battery costs.
Buying a new EV rather than keeping your old diesel or petrol car rarely saves any world emissions of CO2 in reality. Despite all the government/BBC propaganda and anyway man made CO2 plant, crop and tree food is not causing a climate emergency anyway!
March 12, 2026
Many ships still use bunker fuel which seems to be the filthiest of all fuels and as a large percentage of EVs come from China the pollution is enormous. From AI – bunker fuel ‘is the “bottom of the barrel” residue from oil refineries’.
When in some ports the ships are obliged to change to a less polluting fuel.
March 12, 2026
There are reports that the U.K. Government authorised ‘sun blocking’ spraying.
Is this correct JR?
Is that why we have has such a long period of gray skies?
What is the point of giving over fields of arable land to solar panels if you are at the same time, blocking the sun?
March 13, 2026
Indeed and decreasing food production and you get most of the electricity when you do not really want it much – middle of the day in Summer!
March 12, 2026
Good morning.
The fuel in the large underground tanks was the same fuel before the US / Iran conflict as it is now. Same too at the refinery. So why the sudden jump.
Price gouging should be made illegal.
March 12, 2026
To stay in business they have to charge market rates whatever they can get, when the tank is empty they will clearly need more cash than last time to refill it!
March 12, 2026
Fuel is double taxed: VAT is charged at 20% on the duty already levied at approx 52.5 p per litre
March 12, 2026
The cost of fuel and energy in the UK are a product of the Uni-Party who have governed the UK since Margaret Thatcher. We now suffer unnecessarily the highest energy costs in the developed World. It will remain so until Reform are elected to power. The alternative is that we become with certainty a third world country.
March 12, 2026
Ah! makes little difference soon there’ll be no petrol for anyone – this war is going to last a long time maybe years.
March 12, 2026
Perhaps I am too optimistic but I think (and hope) not. Not in anyone’s interest other than some Mad Mullahs perhaps.
Will I get arrested for that comment soon by the new Tzar and Kier’s thought police.
March 12, 2026
There are reports that the U.K. Government authorised ‘sun blocking’ spraying.
Is this correct JR?
Is that why we have has such a long period of gray skies?
What is the point of giving over fields of arable land to solar panels if you are at the same time, blocking the sun?nop
March 12, 2026
Sorry, duplicate comment, something went wrong.
March 12, 2026
”The Persian Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman, produce approximately
32% of the world’s total crude oil.” ….so 68% from rest of world …..so why is the price rising ?
March 12, 2026
55% of the price is tax. Of which the money you had to earn to pay it was taxed at what 40 %
So for every 100 quid you earn pre tax you can afford to buy about 30 quids worth of petrol, the rest goes to the tax man.
Then of course fuel prices would be lower if the state was not artificially restricting the amount of work the oil companies can do here, state constrained supply forcing price up.
George Harrison was correct with his song tax man.
Nobody would mind if we had world leading public services, but we dont they are all pretty rubbish, with the very rare exception, which is usually accidental and little to do wth the public sector.
March 12, 2026
@iain gill – the new world as dictated by the WEF and the Fabians and Parliament is full of their disciples
March 12, 2026
It should be taxed at all ….its already VAT’d, so oil fuel should be treated like any other product, otherwise its social-engineering
March 13, 2026
For most government Social Engineering is their goal for Starmer, Miliband, Lammy, Phillipson types their only real goal. That and pathetic destructive envy drives them.
March 12, 2026
The simple and sensible thing to do is cut government costs and cut all taxes.
Taxation of all kinds is killing our Country, as too many people now see no point in making a real effort to invest, save, or work harder, smarter and longer for such little personal reward.
Mp’s get a £5,000 rise, Pensioners get £500, yet both still have to pay council tax, energy bills, house and car insurance, and fuel costs all of which are un escapable.
March 12, 2026
Correct Alan. In Wokingham our rates went up 0% in 20/21 but then 3.2%, 5.1%, 4.9% in the following years and it is another 5% this coming year. The two of us now pay a good deal more in Council tax than we do in gas & electricity. At a steady 5% annual increase, our rates will double inside every 15 years.
We can turn down our thermostat to save money but we can do nothing about Council spending. Our regular emails from the Council constantly remind us about new SEND places, new Citizens, improvments to cycleways and roundabouts (like the £5M ‘flowery’ one we avoid like the plague) and invite us to get “involved”.
We visted Heathland Nursery yesterday (about to be cut off from easy access to town for months, as part of the Southern “Relief” Road development. We returned via Old Wokingham Road and ‘voila’ – there was another new housing development that wasn’t there last time we passed that way. The South of Wokingham is about to become another giant housing estate – and for who? I thought we had a demographic problem with a baby drought…
No, we just want the roads to be maintained, to be able to park without paying a fortune and not see local shops & Banks close (M&S, The Co-op, Morrisons etc plus WH Smiths/Jones soon?).
March 12, 2026
@Berkshire Alan – I like the irony the MPs wage authority spokes persons says they had to award an above inflation rise to compensate for the anxiety and abuse MPs receive. I would ask is who is doing the abusing in the first instance? If MPs/Parliament didn’t abuse those that pay their wages and empower them there would be nothing to create the spiral.
March 12, 2026
Forecourts should state how much tax is charged on fuel. Indeed, it would be good if price tickets for everything included a tax breakdown by law.
March 12, 2026
Nick. I think there is legislation to prevent petrol stations doing this as it was tried during a previous scare. The government doesn’t want the average punters to know how the price is achieved. The same with gas and electricity bills of which 60% is taxesxand levies.
March 12, 2026
….most EVs are chinese but are marketed and promoted as western or european
March 12, 2026
Sounds right.
March 12, 2026
+1
March 12, 2026
The government won’t reduce hydrocarbon taxes at the pumps; Reeves is coining it with the extra VAT.
However, the fossil fuel cartel is rubbing its hands together with glee as UK forecourts ramp up the price of diesel to £1.63/l – with every prospect of £2.00 shortly. Followed by the inevitable petrol rationing, panic buying of food/bottled water and yet more government subsidies for everyone’s energy bills. Straight from British taxpayers to the oil companies’ bottom line
As big oil holds the world to ransom with crude at $200/barrel, this war will be the death knell of their cartel. When the war eventually concludes, the world will rapidly move away from fossil fuels to EV’s, renewable energy and battery storage. At last
March 12, 2026
Those EVs still need fossil fuels to generate the electricity to charge them; more so when the wind don’t blow and the sun don’t shine.
Battery storage is very expensive and the degradation in the charge/discharge cycle costs as much as the electricity they transfer. Only good for emergency backup.
Happily my cycle to work this morning required no fossil fuels, but I still rely on delivery drivers to get things where they are needed.
March 12, 2026
Dream on Cycling and walking is powered by human food which need loads of fossil fuels to fertilise, grow, harvest, prepare, butcher, Pack, freeze, cook…
March 12, 2026
No, under your scenario, the “World” woud be so broke, it won’t be even be able to eat, let alone buy “cheap” Chinese EVs SG. We need cheap energy – and renewables are not the solution.
March 12, 2026
SG. It must be lovely in the rarefied atmosphere you live in. The oil price shock will do the absolute opposite of what you say and highlight just how dependent we are in hydrocarbons. This will expose the rank stupidity of government policies to prevent extraction of our own resources.
March 13, 2026
@Ian Wragg
Your post smacks of panic – at the prospect of being unable to drive your ICE car when petrol rationing is introduced. This morning unleaded near me is £1.74/l already
Do try to keep a level head. Panic stricken rants about how it’s all net zero’s fault are unhelpful
March 12, 2026
SG
You seem to think fossil fuels just make electricity.
They produce thousands of by products and fossil fuels create over 80% of the world’s energy needs.
March 12, 2026
Your suggestion of cutting the fuel duty is unfortunately much too sensible to be implemented by the people currently in charge. The chance of a socialist government cutting tax is next to nil, as that would be anathema to them. Roll on the next general election, can’t come soon enough.
March 12, 2026
Indeed cut the petrol tax, cut net zero, cut all taxes, cut the size of the state and cut 90% of red tape. The importance of cheap reliable energy to enable an economy to compete and for living standards is huge. So many of the UK’s problems would be solved by energy at US prices about 1/4 of the UKs. As they could so easily be without the Net Zero May, Miliband, BBC delusions/religion!
See the:- Are we heading for a constitutional crisis? | Starkey & Mogg You tube video on the humble address and Starmer’s appalling refusal to release everything hiding behind the ruse of a police inquiry. This the man who blatantly interfered with the justice system after the protests about the Southport murders by that Welsh Choirboy! 31 months not manifestly excessive for a silly tweet said the thre dire appeal court judges judges! Who seemed to know who might butter their toast!
March 12, 2026
Very True
March 12, 2026
VAT is an insidious, end user cost based tax.
For every 10p the base price of petrol rises the government collects a further 2p.
When petrol prices rise, the fuel duty escalator does not need to as VAT is already doing the heavy lifting.
Fuel duty is currently levied at a flat rate of 52.95p per litre for both petrol and diesel, while VAT at 20% is then charged on both the product price and the duty. So the government is collecting VAT totaling 10p just on the duty.
March 12, 2026
I seem to remember that VAT was a European tax taken over by the UK in the seventies. We used to have purchase tax but not on everything.
March 12, 2026
French.
March 12, 2026
Wilhelm von Siemens and Thomas S. Adams do not sound that French to me.
March 13, 2026
“All The Worst Ideas Are French.” David Starkey
March 12, 2026
Yesterday at PMQs, this cll for lower fuel price was the main theme of Kemi Badenoch’s questions to the PM.
His response was we are not increasing petrol prices and went on to accuse Kemi B of u turning on her Iran War position simply to distract the audience from the actual fuel price reality.
Labour once again are being economic with the truth, about the ony thing they know how to be economic about.
The Mandelson embarrassment continues to keep their ability to present lies as truth in the public eye which was perhaps why the files forced into the public by the humble address demand by Parliament was not released until after PMQs to save the PM obvious embarrassment.
We now know Starmer was repeatedly warned not to engage Mandelson yet he ignored that advice and gave his political friend the top job.
What more needs to be said about this government than that. They simply don’t know how to behave responsibly in any field of public office.
March 12, 2026
It would seem that the energy Czar has total control of policies relating to energy policies – He certainly has too much power. This was obvious when he refused to leave his hobby-horse department when Starmer was doing a reshuffle.
Red Ed is getting away with too much, is not getting anything like real scrutiny and is determined to see us in fuel poverty.
Starmer is reeling from attacks on his leadership – if Red Ed were to replace him we would certainly see more personal attacks on Milliband, and the subject of failing energy supplies might just get more attention. Certainly more attention needs to be directed at all of this even if it means a heavy weight socialist becomes PM.
In any case, Milliband should be attacked mercilessly for his destructive actions.
March 12, 2026
“Cut the petrol tax” yet the Government with the support of Parliament attacked those that refine, distribute, and provide the refilling stations suggesting it is these fuel suppliers that are the profiteers.
Irony for the most part it is the beleaguered taxpayer that is funding EV charging station, then funding the discounted energy used(the energy used doesn’t receive the same tax penalty) .
March 12, 2026
The war on the motorist is ramped up daily. Done car users know they are supposed to use non-existent public transport. This war is in essence about the refusal by Parliament to produce and infrastructure to cope with the ever rising population. After-all what is good for Metro London is good for everyone.
March 12, 2026
Global warming? After weather reports suggesting the UK would get hit with ‘red-dust storm’ (sand) Yesterday the media showed the Sahara desert covered in ‘snow!’ instead
March 12, 2026
I have repeatedly asked you to explain the business plan that leads to the UK enjoying the highest energy prices in ths World. You have never responded.
Private companies, large and small, are allowed to extract oil from the North Sea, consider it to be their property, and sell it on the global market to the highest bidder at international prices.
Around 80% of North Sea Oil is exported as companies are not obliged to sell to the UK. The nett effect of this is that having our own oil supply does not lower consumer bills. Political UK in its grotesque ineptitude set this up when oil was discovered. I can only assume that those in power held a lot of oil company shares as it is the only reason for appearing to be so stupid . They exasurbated the situation by shrinking our refining capacity just to ensure we were dependent on imported refined product.
I see this as a mother to the insanity of the Chagos deal. Politicians should not be allowed to exchange marbles in the playground. If you wonder who created such a fiasco, surprise surprise, it was the Continental Shelf Act 1964, set up by the Conservative government led by Sir Alec Douglas-Home. The first oil came ashore in1975 under the Labour government of Harold Wilson. Both parties banged to rights.
Some 70% of our gas is bought on the Global market, a result of deliberate government suppression of home production and storage.
None of this will be corrected by 95% of those in the HOC. The only chance of rectification will be a Reform government. I hope Nigel et al read this diary.
Reply Gas is very expensive to export as LNG so getting more gas out would be used in UK. If you want private sector investment in oil and want ton be able to import oil then you need to allow oil export.
March 12, 2026
“Lords pile pressure on Starmer with vote to scrap non-crime hate incidents” 2TK comes back with all those that are independent, don’t toe the line from Gang Bosses, the hereditary ‘Peers’ can no longer sit in the House of Lords from May 2026 onwards.
Democracy, accountability will not be permitted.
And, Lord Mandelson will stay a Lord!
Destruction of structures, with Marxist institutions replacing them. Someone wants to rule without challenge, by decree now aligned with the religious, political Mullah’s
March 12, 2026
Events have overtaken me..
Privy Council minutes from Tuesday have now been published regarding Peter Mandelson.
“An Order striking out The Lord Mandelson from the List of Members of His Majesty’s Most Honourable Privy Council.”
The Order in Council stripping Mandelson of his peerage has also been published:
March 12, 2026
The government is briefing that legislation to strip Mandelson of his peerage won’t come until after the King’s Speech in May. No10 says this is because it is putting together wider legislation to remove peers in general. A manufactured delay…
Fudge after fudge, the power hungry dancing around the real issue
Just give us a democracy and let the people be the arbiters
March 12, 2026
It seems that Sir Kier agrees with you but the Chancelloress does not. Another instance of two tier Government?
March 12, 2026
https://order-order.com/2026/03/12/badenoch-labour-mps-discussing-no-confidence-vote-in-starmer-with-tory-whips/
Badenoch has been speaking to pool reporters about how to get rid of Keir Starmer after the first Mandelson Files release
“It is a shame that there are not enough opposition MPs to remove the PM. Labour MPs now need to consider their position and ask themselves in good conscience, should this man be running our country? He has shown a complete lack of judgment. Catastrophic error after catastrophic error. And the only reason why we know any of this is happening is because I asked him at the despatch box again and again and also forced the release of the Mandelson files.”
As I suggested above @Peter – who could Labour put into power, that would be more honest and do a better job? Parliament supports 2TK, seemingly know one else. But without a GE there will be no change, and Parliament is not going to ‘vote for Christmas’
The dishonest undemocratic 5 year terms are just that 5 year of destruction. Parliament is in fear of Democracy instead of serving Democracy, seeking confirmation of direction they fight it at every term.
March 12, 2026
Also highlighting the UK Parliament ‘fight’ against the people and democracy
https://order-order.com/2026/03/12/report-falklands-next-target-after-chagos-for-un-human-rights-stooges/
” Decisions about Britain’s security and sovereign territory should ultimately be made in London, not outsourced”
March 12, 2026
ICAEW.com 04/12/2024 ‘Why the UK must reform VAT’ and ‘How to fix VAT’.
March 12, 2026
“Once again with fuels it turns out they [the government] are main price gougers.”
Of course. Because socialism depends upon making and keeping people poor they’re perfectly happy that surging fossil fuel prices will take even more money from the people. At the same time they can spin their false propaganda that we will become energy secure by relying upon renewables which are almost all made in China, a state described by our security services as “hostile”. This energy will be cheaper they say refusing to admit that China uses coal power and cheap labour, possibly even slave labour to make these renewables whilst at the same time ignoring the environmental costs and also ignoring all the additional UK costs of grid upgrades, grid stability and fossil fuel back-up. Even the concrete for fixed offshore wind turbines is now shipped from China. So low is the ERoEI (Energy Return on Energy Invested) that not even China, let alone the UK, could replace the existing renewables using the energy they create. Net Zero is unsustainable as well as being unnecessary because adding more CO2 to the atmosphere causes negligible, if any additional warming. There is already sufficient CO2 in the atmosphere to absorb all the IR radiation emitted by the planet. We are told that renewables will reduce our reliance on petrostates. Well, to quote DUKES, the government’s annual energy report for 2025: “The bulk of the UK’s energy imports, over 90 per cent, comprise oil and gas and Norway is the UK’s primary supplier of energy imports. The largest share of oil imports in 2024 arrived from the United States, whilst Norway provides the largest share of gas imports.”
March 12, 2026
OT
Apropos our Defence expenditure and the horrors of the lack of defence.
Israel has deployed ‘The Iron Beam’.
A 100-kilowatt laser. Deployed in LIVE COMBAT for the first time in human history. Not a test. Not a prototype. Real war. Real Iranian missiles. Destroyed in mid-air.
Cost per Iron Dome interceptor: $50,000
Cost per Iron Beam shot: $2
This makes missiles redundant. We need ‘The Iron Beam’ asap. The. The rest of our defence spending must be deployed to defend British people on home soil from Terrorist attacks, I include Mozlem Rape Gangs.
Congratulations JR on the Lords amendment on Hate Speech. A famous victory!
March 12, 2026
The problem is we have had a succession of greedy governments, and this Labour one is even greedier still.
Anyone with an ounce of intelligence and/or common sense would see the Middle East war as a clear warning to make the UK as self-sufficient as possible in energy. That means using all the resources we have, including coal. Yet ED the red Miliband and SG live in a dream world and still think solar and wind is the answer.
Unless we get a government that cuts spending, cuts taxes, and starts repaying debt, the UK will become bankrupt. The rate of tax on fuel is a disgrace, as are the frozen tax allowances, which, of course, were implemented by a ” Conservative ” government.
Labour won’t cut spending or reduce taxes until the UK is bankrupt, and the IMF forces them to do so!
March 12, 2026
You have failed to say how your proposed tax cut would be funded. The Liz Truss error.
Reply This site has set out billions. of cut starting with Bank of England losses. Some of the cut would offset the windfall VAT gains.
March 12, 2026
Liz Truss didn’t make an error, she was shafted by the establishment and her own parliamentary party members
March 12, 2026
The rise today in 10- and 30-year gilts to near-secular highs shows that the government’s lenders are increasingly concerned that its energy policies are making de-industrialization inevitable and economically toxic, when added to high levels of benefit spending.
March 13, 2026
rise in gilt-yields is what I meant of course.
March 12, 2026
Our Supremo Leader pretends he is listening… Last seen in Northern Ireland.
He’s on walk-about, AWOL avoiding scrutiny and deep embarrassment…
March 12, 2026
The UK has the highest tax on petrol and diesel compared to anywhere else in the world. For years, this has made the UK economy uncompetitive, it makes no sense. Tax should be levied for the purpose it’s being collected. But most taxes, like fuel duty and road tax, end up in a big catch-all pot and are then spent on all sorts of airbrained ideas, like propping up electric cars, building wind farms, solar arrays, and now battery banks :/
Lower duty = More businesses = More productive revenue
The UK government is full of politicians who have no understanding of the departments or the strategies they follow. They pick a lobby that promises unrealistic goals and just stick with them because if they admitted they got it wrong, they’d be ousted from government for decades 😉
It would be refreshing if, someday in the near future, we had a government made up of true experts who genuinely care about the UK’s success. Just look at France, they generate over 70% of their energy from nuclear power and aren’t panicking about energy. They understand that nuclear energy is truly net zero and reliable, unlike the technologies the UK has unfortunately been betting on because of incompetent policy makers 🙁
Reply The establishment experts on the economy and climate change are the problem, not the answer