Drivers are faced with a heavy financial burden as the government prepares to unfreeze fuel taxes, which could cost some of them hundreds of pounds more a year.
Motorists Born in These Years Brace for Devastating £175 Hit to Fuel Bills
By Arezki AMIRI
Published on 30 October 2024 12:31
Motorists throughout the UK will have to prepare for great impact on their pockets as the Labour government is set to lift the freeze on fuel duty in today’s Budget. In return, fuel price is going up for the UK citizens. The fuel price increase has led to anxiety that many, including older people and the weak, will struggle to afford the spiralling prices at the pump.
Motorists Brace for £175 Annual Fuel Hike
According to experts, the anticipated 7p per litre increase could see the average motorist paying around £3.85 every time they fill up their car—a staggering £175 annual hike if filling up once a week, the UK average.
Avril, a 76-year-old widow from Horsham, is among those deeply concerned about the impact. “I desperately need my small car to get anywhere,” she explained in a letter to the Chancellor. “If the price of petrol rises, I cannot afford to leave home. I will be trapped there.”
Avril's situation is further complicated by the fact that she does not qualify for the Winter Fuel Allowance, with her income just above the threshold for Pension Credit. “I cannot afford to have my heating on at all this winter,” she lamented. “The cold will seriously affect my arthritic joints and worsen my mobility.”
The FairFuelUK campaign has highlighted widespread dissatisfaction with Labour's performance, with 65% of road users rating the government's actions as “poor to disastrous”. Notably, even 67% of Labour voters share this damning verdict.
Age UK has made further criticism of the government and this decision, as the charity director Caroline Abrahams argued, among other things, that the State Pension rise promised “does nothing to help pensioners this winter”.
“We know some older people are having sleepless nights because of their anxiety about how they will afford their heating bills,” Abrahams said. “The Budget is the Government's opportunity to put their minds at rest, and we strongly urge them to take it.”