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Fuel duty cut extended for one year.

 

Petrol station
«Because infla­tion remains high, I have decided now is not the right time to uprate fuel duty with infla­tion or increase the duty,» said Jeremy Hunt, the chan­cel­lor. The exten­sion of the dis­count was wel­comed by motor­ing groups. «The cut has given drivers some much-needed relief in what has been the most tor­rid year ever at the pumps, with price records being broken even after duty was cut,» said Nich­olas Lyes at the RAC. «Given the import­ance of driv­ing for con­sumers and busi­nesses, duty should be kept low to help fight infla­tion».

But the car industry, which received little atten­tion in the chan­cel­lor’s Budget yes­ter­day, warned that the exten­sion of the dis­count would make it harder to meet elec­tric vehicle sales quotas that come into force next year. Mike Hawes, head of the Soci­ety of Motor Man­u­fac­tur­ers and Traders, said the £5bn giveaway con­tras­ted «with an absence of meas­ures to boost uptake of zero-emis­sion vehicles, such as redu­cing VAT on pub­lic char­ging». In addition, higher fuel costs make elec­tric vehicles, which are often charged at home, more afford­able by com­par­ison. Pub­lic trans­port advoc­ates also cri­ti­cised the fuel duty dis­count, arguing it would put people off using trains and buses.

«Mak­ing driv­ing rel­at­ively cheaper, while pub­lic trans­port gets more expens­ive, won’t help us reach net zero,» said Claire Hard­ing of the Centre for Lon­don think-tank. Reg­u­lated rail fares rose 5.9 per cent this year, and over­all, the price of train tick­ets has jumped 33 per cent over the past dec­ade, accord­ing to the Cam­paign for Bet­ter Trans­port. «Years of under-invest­ment in our road net­work coupled with a cold and wet winter is already unveil­ing the craters,» said Jack Cou­sens at the AA. «More money needs to be spent now, as well as sig­ni­fic­ant long-term invest­ment».

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  1. Maxwell16 March 2023 at 12:27

    I agree that more investments need to be made in public transport. People need an affordable, comfortable and safe way to travel. Not everyone owns or wants a car. In fact, most people don't want this so more money should go to keeping them happy and offering better conditions to this area.

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