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Autumn Statement reaction: Fuel duty
RAC chief engineer David Bizley said: “Motorists may be relieved that the Chancellor has not used low fuel prices as an immediate opportunity to raise duty on petrol and diesel to help reduce the deficit.
“But by not mentioning fuel duty in his Autumn Statement, the implication is that the 57.95p charged on every litre currently will be subject to inflationary increases in line with RPI from April 2016 onwards.
“This will go down like a lead balloon with motorists who have been benefitting from lower pump prices as oil prices have fallen. It also goes completely against the Treasury’s own findings that lower fuel prices are good for the economy and an extremely inefficient way of raising additional taxation revenues for the Treasury.
“Motorists already pay £26bn in fuel duty per year so any increase to this tax on petrol and diesel will be hugely disappointing and a backward step which will prove damaging to the economy in the longer term.”
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The RAC provides complete peace of mind to 12m UK private and business drivers, whatever their motoring needs. Its services include:
- Breakdown assistance. Its highly-skilled, 1,600-strong branded patrol workforce attends more than two million breakdowns every year, fixing on average four out of five vehicles at the roadside. The RAC’s patrol fleet is one of the most advanced in the world, and was the first to roll out both an All-Wheels-Up recovery system, allowing the vast majority of vehicles to be recovered from a single patrol van, and EV Boost mobile electric vehicle charging units
- Insurance. The RAC is a top-five car insurance broker having surpassed the 500,000 policies-in-force milestone in 2018. It also offers ‘black box’ telematics policies, as well as home and travel insurance
- Other motoring services. The RAC leads in the development of new solutions for business, fleets, electric vehicles and future car technology. Its additional products and services include a personal loans offering, a used car buying website, vehicle inspections and checks, legal services or up-to-the-minute traffic and travel information. It also has a network of Approved Dealers and Approved Garages which combine the trust of RAC brand with local service and convenience
The RAC also works to support the interests of its members and UK drivers on the most important motoring issues which it identifies via the annual RAC Report on Motoring and the RAC Opinion Panel. The Report on Motoring is the longest running analysis of driver opinion in the UK having been published every year since 1989.
For more information about the RAC, visit the RAC website.
