Rule 1 of Politics, latch on to the nearest public sop
The current sop is definitely related to car tax, either fuel duty or road fund tax. And as ever the wise opposition finds it time to make up complete bullshit to make it look like they care (while at the same time quite happily ensuring the Westminster gravy train carries on regardless, below inflation pay rise my arse).
Anyway...
As usual I read the BBC news website, if only cause overall it is less biased and ad-free then the usual crap. And what would be there today? This genius proposal. Now I hate the high duty rate as much as the next put upon car driver but really should we be betting the countries finances on the whims of OPEC and the commodities market? Duty hasn't gone up in the past 6 months but petrol has gone up around 20p or so, hmmm who is really to blame here. If you want a sensible proposal remove the price linked tax which is already on petrol, VAT of course. I guess most of the morons out there don't realise they also pay 17.5% on their petrol, they just chant DUTY until a magic pixie appears and hands them some fake burberry caps. If we did away with VAT then the tax wouldn't increase with higher prices getting about the same result as the tories are proposing without being fucking idiots.
That of course leads onto something related, do hauliers pay VAT on fuel? Surely as fuel is a requirement for them doing business shouldn't they get it VAT free? So if that is the case their bleating about it being however much for diesel is a lie. Fuckers to a man.
DUTY DUTY DUTY
Nearly all hauliers will be VAT registered (if their turnover is over £61,000ish it is a legal requirement) and collect/deliver within the UK, then they CHARGE VAT, pay the VAT on ALL purchases (including Wild Bean Cafe scotch eggs), but then claim it back from the taxman. The hauliers are looking for subsidies against the price of fuel, like the stinking Fishermen get.
If EVERYONES prices are going UP then it's a fair playing field and the fuckers should step up, look at efficiency or proceedures and pass on costs (easily said than done). If Euro Hauliers are competing for short term contracts with UK hauliers, it's not fair nor competitive. There is fuck all road tax on Pierre Camion Grand coming over driving around jobbing on a cheap tank of fuel for a week then going back and re-fueling, so lets create a nasty-big daily road tax for the froggy trucks to "contibute" tax against a fuel duty reduction.
As for the rest of us. Keep VAT at 17.5 and Drop the fucking duty, giving us a break for a couple of years while our paycheques catch up a bit. Failing that....
DUTY DUTY DUTY DUTY DUTY DUTY DUTY DUTY Oh. A cap. Bostin!!