The levy imposed by the state on petrol is greater than that imposed on champagne[/caption]
While it’s doubtless too much to expect Rachel Reeves will reduce the petrol tax burden, the Chancellor must resist any urge to unfreeze fuel duty in her budget and push pump prices up even further.
To do so would risk the country’s finances going flatter than a three-day-old glass of champers.
There are already signs that relentless doom-mongering by the Chancellor and Prime Minister has left economic confidence low and businesses and consumers paralysed with fear about the Budget.
People are simply not convinced of the cost benefits or comfort offered by upgraded insulation or, particularly, by heat pumps.
The report’s authors conclude: “This is an important reminder to Government and industry who are trying to sell these green upgrades to homeowners that they are in competition with holidays and kitchen renovations, and losing.â€
We doubt eco-zealot Ed Miliband is listening — but his Government colleagues should be.
Fab Fergie
TWO cancer diagnoses in quick succession have made the past two years a dark time for the Duchess of York.
As she writes in today’s Sun, UK rates of breast cancer are increasing and affect almost 57,000 women a year. Taking steps to prevent it is a matter of urgency.