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FUEL DUTY (page created 4 May 2010)

People who are "petrol heads" or "piston heads" and also dislike the Labour Government for one reason or another foster the idea that under the Labour Government, drivers were particularly hard hit by rises in fuel duty. They seem to have forgotten that it was Norman Lamont who in the 1993 Budget started the "fuel duty escalator", that Ken Clarke increased the escalator in 1995 (to five per cent above inflation per year) and that it was Gordon Brown (having initially increased the escalator rate to six per cent) who abolished it in 1999.

The overall effect can be seen in the graph and table below. Note that the rates for only the two main categories are shown - Unleaded Petrol and Diesel. From time to time there have been other categories. The small fall in duty in April 2008 was to compensate for the removal of the differential lower rate for ultra low sulphur fuels (which had been introduced in 1997 for uls diesel and 2000 for uls petrol)

FUEL DUTY RATES 1989 TO 2010

FUEL DUTY RATES 1989 TO 2010
  Unleaded Petrol Diesel
  pence pence
14-Mar-89 17.72 17.29
20-Mar-90 19.49 19.02
19-Mar-91 22.41 21.87
10-Mar-92 23.42 22.85
16-Mar-93 25.76 25.14
30-Nov-93 28.32 27.70
29-Nov-94 30.44 30.44
01-Jan-95 31.32 31.32
28-Nov-95 34.30 34.30
15-May-96 34.30 34.30
26-Nov-96 36.86 36.86
02-Jul-97 40.28 40.28
15-Aug-97 40.28 40.28
17-Mar-98 43.99 44.99
09-Mar-99 47.21 50.21
01-Oct-99 47.21 50.21
21-Mar-00 48.82 51.82
01-Oct-00 48.82 51.82
07-Mar-01 48.82 51.82
15-Jun-01 48.82 51.82
26-Jul-02 48.82 51.82
09-Apr-03 48.82 51.82
01-Oct-03 50.19 53.27
03-Dec-04 50.19 53.27
01-Jan-05 50.19 53.27
06-Dec-05 50.19 53.27
07-Dec-06 51.52 54.68
01-Oct-07 53.65 56.94
01-Apr-08 50.35 50.35
01-Dec-08 52.35 52.35
01-Apr-09 54.19 54.19
01-May-09 54.19 54.19
01-Sep-09 56.19 56.19
01-Apr-10 57.19 57.19

Source of figures - HMRC - "Hydrocarbon oils: Historical duty rates"


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