Road to ruin with double whammy

IF YOU’RE facing an astronomical bill for filling up a car or van this weekend, here’s a shocking fact to keep in mind.

You will be paying the equivalent of nearly £45 in tax out for every £100 that you spend at the pump.

That’s because VAT is charged ON TOP of fuel duty.

Even my plumber’s maths can work out that paying tax on top of another tax is a rip-off.

The cost of petrol and diesel would be almost halved if it were not for physical taxes. For example, if you put £50 in your tank this weekend, the price you would pay without tax would be £27.50.

Don’t think you’re immune if you don’t own a vehicle. High fuel prices are causing costs to rise in every sector of the economy.

Whether you shop in a supermarket or buy your goods online, it doesn’t matter.

The majority of things we all buy in order to live still need to be delivered by road, regardless whether it’s to the store or direct to your home.

It’s been estimated that the taxman is raking in £77million a day from petrol and diesel (no doubt in a bid to claw back some of the “free” money that was dished out during the pandemic).

Of course, there will be those who argue that the Treasury cannot afford to forego that amount of tax.

But I don’t buy that. Every single business and household in the country is currently being forced to tighten its belt, so why should the Government not have to do the same?

Besides, the country will eventually have to learn to live without fuel taxes when we all drive around in electric vehicles.

Interestingly, there are currently two petitions on the official Parliament website that are worth a look.

One is calling for fuel duty to be scrapped. The other is for the VAT on fuel to be scrapped.

Surprisingly, neither petition has so far got more than a few hundred signatures (probably because most people have got better things to do than wade through nerdy websites).

However, I have a sneaking suspicion that’s about to change.

You read it here first.