So, as we are all now paying 88 pence per litre in fuel tax -/+, I thought it high time the subject was broached. 88 pence per litre in tax. That equates to over £4.00 a gallon, or £40 to fill the average hatchbox in sodding tax. Acceptable? Do you consider this acceptable given that we as a nation pay more in fuel tax than any one else on the planet? Someone, somewhere, is taking the piss. No prizes for guessing who. Do you consider this acceptable? I have to say I don't. In fact I consider it blatant racketeering. But, we have to have the stuff don't we. Therefore by default the powers that be will do nothing to alleviate the misery inflicted on the average motorist. It's not likely to get any any cheaper either, and have the highways even more clogged and congested than they already are, is it? Sustainable growth? Please, don't make me laugh. The argument sooner or later runs into sustainability of fossil fuels and maintaining natural resources, so the fuel prices are kept artificially high in order to maintain/preserve stocks. So how bad is the situation? PRETTY FUCKING BAD is the answer Peak oil - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Peak Prosperity Video Channel - YouTube Farm for the Future - BBC Dokumentary 2009! - YouTube The End of Suburbia - 52 minute documentary on peak oil - YouTube As a concept renewable energy is fine, in reality, too little too late. Forget it. Unless you're extremely rich. Penny dropped? Recession, you betcha. It's here to stay folks ..... In the immortal words of Sir Johnny of Rotten - Ever get the feeling you've been had? Discuss ...
It's bad enough paying 63 pence a litre for heating oil in order not to freeze to death but then the Government adds another 80 pence of tax to that when they call it diesel for cars . Calling it green taxes is laughable too , saving the planet from climate change ? They would save more CO2 if they stopped buying crap from China . Like you say with high taxation of a daily essential the recession will last a long time .
Im more insulted by the cost of a coke and bag of m&s at the shit-box cinema. I have to agree that 80p in tax per litre is a joke.
There is a budget to be covered, if Fuel Tax comes down another tax will go up to cover the shortfall. Germany, France, The Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Greece (hah!) and Norway amongst others all have higher income tax rates than we do. Would I rather pay less for petrol? yes I would. Would I be happy to pay another 5% income tax to cover it? probably not.
Income tax/NICS is fairly progressive; the very poor pay none at all, the rich pay a higher percentage. Fuel duty is a flat tax; everybody pays the same percentage, rich or poor. Then again, visitors to UK pay taxes on what they buy but no income tax; only residents pay. On balance, I would prefer more on income tax and less on consumption.
As a higher rate tax payer that drives relatively low mileage you'll understand if I disagree with your preferences.
Not entirely true Pete, People that are VAT registered can claim some of it back. So that's all right then. Same old, same old.
You can only claim the VAT back if it's used for business.And the other side of that is you have to charge VAT on everything you sell.It's a PITA,but there you go.Unpaid tax collector for the Govt,and heaven help you if you get the figures wrong.
I live in a small town in the country,public transport is non existant so I have no choice but to pay the fuel prices. To add insult,the local supermarket petrol station charge's more for it's fuel because I live in the country and I must be rich !
the bastards tax you a fortune on your fuel and then add vat. taxing tax,what next ? tax the tax on your tax? then the feckers will give themselves a big pay rise. aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
I hear what you're saying mate, the point I was making is that generally business owners are wealthier than non-business owners, generally. I appreciate that it's a pita. Don't tell me you don't write off the tax you put in your own private vehicle, everyone puts the receipts through the books, don't they?
Really? Surely you cannot be saying that your views on these sorts of issues are driven purely by your own personal financial interests, rather than by your principles and reason? Can you?
Are you saying you ought to be paid by the government for collecting VAT and PAYE? So if you were paid, where do you think the money to pay you would ultimately come from? That's right, from the taxpayer. So in what sense would that be an improvement?
Don't want to hijack the thread,but a couple of things: Owning a business doesn't necessarily mean you're better off than employees.I earned less than any of my drivers last tax year,and I've been going 20 years.Not asking for sympathy,I choose to do what I do and when retirement comes I hope to sell the business for a reasonable amount.I also believe in looking after my people,and if I could get the right price for haulage I'd pay them 5 times what I currently do. I perhaps use 50 litres of diesel a week in my 1999 Discovery,I can't put that through the books even though it's mostly burnt going to get parts/dragging Artics out of the yard/dropping off spares. Don't believe all you read in the papers,the large majority of firms have 5 employees or less and the majority of guv'nors are like me... Like I said,I ain't bitching,I do what I do because I like it
Does that mean you choose to take capital gains instead of income from your business, then? Would that be because you hope to pay less tax on the capital gains than on the income? If so, fair enough, that's your choice - but it's not really a reason why anybody should feel especially sympathetic.
I was responding to an earlier post by Greyman regarding being the Owner of a business,but as stated I don't want to hijack the thread.As I said whatever I get (beyond my salary),will come when I sell the business.I don't use Capital Gains or pay myself bonuses in order to avoid Tax or NI.
Apologies, this thread was designed to illuminate and highlight the connections between fuel prices and sustainability, and the precarious position we as a global entity find ourselves in. I just find it uncannily unjust that we as a nation appear to be the guinea pigs for how much any one country/nation can take before there is any discernible backlash? I don't want to come across as a militant left-winger, but it is in my opinion getting seriously out of hand. How much tax is enough, where, does it stop? Everytime I go to the pumps it's gone up again. As does everything else around it. We should be worried.
You forgot this one, The US should be the ones sh!tt!ng themselves. Robert Newman's History of Oil - YouTube Mark
It's a British thing - a stiff upper lip and a flexible arsehole from the reaming we receive. The government imposes burdens on the population in the UK which in my opinion would not be tolerated in many other countries. I put this down to the ingrained Lord of the Manor/Lowly Serf culture that has existed in this country from the year dot and which has never really gone away. I'm interested in the social experiment angle put forward by Greyman - see how far a government can push things before a docile population rebels against it. On that basis, I'd invest in incontinence pads, folks, 'cause sphincters will be a thing of the past. Stretch, now!
