Friday March 7

The economic and political case against higher fuel duty

The latest paper from the TaxPayers' Alliance investigates the true economic and environmental costs of fuel duty, and examines the politics of the issue. As reported on the front page of the Daily Telegraph and in today's Sun, the findings show not only are Britain's motorists paying hundreds of pounds too much in tax already, those hardest hit are in the most marginal constituencies in the UK. Read the full report here.

Blogs

4.35pm, Campaign
Mark Wallace:
Victory for Kent Taxpayers

As my colleague posted yesterday, Kent County Council Chief Executive Peter Gilroy, who last year was England's highest paid local government employee, has been fighting an increasingly desperate rearguard action to try to keep his salary secret from the taxpayers who foot the bill. His fairly weak excuse was that when we revealed his salary last year he had received "abuse" from taxpayers who felt they weren't getting value for money. So we were delighted to read the headline "U-Turn over KCC's staff" in the Kent Messenger today... - Read More

4.05pm, Burning Our Money
Mike Denham:
A Disaster Waiting To Happen

Schools Secretary Ed Balls has been out and about today trying to defend the government's new school Diploma scheme. And it certainly needs defending... - Read More

10.25am, Campaign
Tim Aker:
Prescriptions to go up in England...

With the budget round the corner the government is leaking the more unpopular aspects so as to mitigate the damage done on the day.  First they leave Northern Rock off the balance sheet, then higher fuel taxes are mooted and now today in the Metro there’s speculation that prescription charges will increase…but only for the English... - Read More

Media Coverage

- Record fuel price rises pave way for £5 gallon

ALISTAIR Darling was under mounting pressure yesterday to scrap plans for a rise in fuel duty after official figures showed pump prices are rising at the fastest rate on record....A coalition, including the National Farmers' Union, motoring groups, business leaders, petrol retailers and the TaxPayers' Alliance, demanded that the rise, scheduled for April 1, be scrapped.

...The TaxPayers' Alliance said the Government's chances of winning the next election could be threatened by any rise. An alliance study found that people in the 100 most marginal constituencies would be hardest hit because they are seven per cent more likely to drive to work, with journeys 13 per cent longer than for other voters. - Full story

- 'Too close' to the firms they must police

THE budgets of Britain's regulators have soared over the past five years and are set to top £1 billion for the first time this year despite widespread Government concern over their effectiveness...

Last night, the Taxpayers' Alliance said that the latest figures revealed that hundreds of millions of pounds may have been wasted on poor-value regulation. Corin Taylor, the research director at the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "Britain's quango state is getting out of control. The regulators are sucking more and more money from taxpayers, are often failing to do their job properly and are virtually unaccountable.'' - Full story

- Motorists 'conned' over eco tax

MOTORISTS are paying £571 a year MORE in tax than they should to combat carbon emissions, a report claimed yesterday...

Labour faces a motoring backlash over the rises, warned the Taxpayers’ Alliance report. Spokesman Matthew Elliott said: “Politicians are exploiting climate change to squeeze us.” - Full story

Comments

[niconoclast]

We should be concentrating on the 60% fuel tax paid already rather than the 2p raise,or we are in danger of swallowing a camel and straining at a gnat. The rate should be no higher than 10%. The tories should be pressed on whether they will reduce the 60% and by how much. I suspect they are happy with the present rate which suggests that they are socialists who dare not speak their name)