Call of duty

Remember the government cutting VAT to stimulate the economy during the recession? At the same time they increased fuel duty by 2p a litre to prevent petrol and diesel from getting cheaper. Presumably they were worried about us all rushing out to fill our baths with the stuff.

Now of course we all know that in 2010 VAT goes back up to 17.5%. Do you suppose nice Mr Darling (the man with the strangest eyebrows in politics since Denis Healey) will be knocking 2p off fuel duty to compensate the hard pressed motorist for this? I'm not holding my breath.

And this in the face of evidence that fuel tax increases are starting to have a negative effect. People don't buy as much and the treasury collects less tax.

Sometime soon governments need to realise that road users aren't a bottomless source of revenue.

GOM