The Anonymous Widower

What Percentage Of Government Finance Is Fuel Duties?

I typed the title of this post into Google.

Google found this page from the Office of Budget Responsibility.

This was the first paragraph.

Fuel duties are levied on purchases of petrol, diesel and a variety of other fuels. They represent a significant source of revenue for government. In 2023-24, we expect fuel duties to raise £24.3 billion. That would represent 2.3 per cent of all receipts and is equivalent to £867 per household and 0.9 per cent of national income.

I don’t drive after a stroke ruined my eyesight, so I pay nothing directly.

But when everybody is in electric vehicles, how is the £24.3 billion hole in the government’s finances caused by no-one paying duty on petrol and diesel to be filled?

I would assume that everyone will have a black box in their vehicle and they’ll pay according to the miles they drive, their speed, the congestion and the vehicle type.

And of course if a driver exceeds the speed limit, they’ll be automatically sent a ticket.

I can understand why Labour politicians like Mark Drakeford and Sadiq Khan are so keen on 20 mph limits.

Has that nice Rachel Reeves told them what she has planned for motorists?

Their eyes must be rolling like cash registers.

September 17, 2023 - Posted by | Finance, Health, Transport/Travel | , , , , ,

1 Comment »

  1. Slow taxi meter is better – charges if stationary or under 10mpf for >90s. Very cheap to do, collect when refilling, no privacy issues and only a GPS monitor if you are obviously fiddling.

    Ironically it around a hundred years since the blanket 20mph limit was lifted and its proponents are still using 1930’s braking distances (which can be nearly halved in a odern car with ABS) to justify the change.

    Comment by R. Mark Clayton | September 17, 2023 | Reply


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