More transparency over fuel tax, says MP

More transparency over fuel tax, says MP

Drivers should know exactly how much tax they are paying when they fill up their vehicles, according to Robert Halfon MP, current Member of Parliament for Harlow, and founder of the Petrol Promise campaign.

Mr Halfon's motion is to highlight the amount of fuel duty that motorists are paying on receipts given by petrol stations after buying fuel. He wishes this recommendation to be included in the current Government's Energy Bill, and has received backing from the FairFuelUK charity. As a publicity stunt, the charity also produced a huge novelty receipt, which mocks up what fuel duty and VAT figures motorists could be seeing.

Currently around 60% of cash paid for fuel goes on Government fuel duty. According to FairFuelUK and Mr Halfon, as much as 10% of driver's incomes could be spent on diesel and petrol for their cars, with motorists forking out £1,700 per year on average to keep their motors running.

Mr Halfon went on to say to the Government that he believes receipts from fuel stations should not only show the amount of tax and duty being paid for each litre of fuel, but also how much of that tax is going to the maintenance of the roads and highways. He continued to say that the freezing of fuel duty was a good first step, but it must also be cut, as the price of fuel continues to rise.

Mr Halfon's first foray into giving support for more transparency in fuel tax took place in October 2012, backed by FairFuelUK. Quentin Willson, the charity's spokesman, said it was a 'moral imperative' that the Government should be giving more transparency on what exactly motorists are paying and where it is going.

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