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Motoring news

Fuel duty 'more important voter issue than VAT or NI'

30/04/2010

Fuel duty is one of the most important taxation issues for voters, according to a motoring lobby group.

An Ipsos MORI poll for the RAC Foundation looked at four major types of taxation, asking 1,001 adults how important each factor would be in terms of influencing their vote.

And after income tax - which around three-quarters of respondents viewed as "very important" or "fairly important" - fuel taxation came out as the second most persuasive factor in the 6 May General Election. Moreover, 42% of those polled saw it as a "very important" factor - more than the 36% for whom income tax was of primary importance.

Meanwhile, the survey - which was carried out between 16 and 22 April - suggested that VAT was of lesser importance to voters, and National Insurance was the least critical factor.

The RAC Foundation said the figures showed that the issue of fuel duty is more important to those who live in rural areas, though it highlighted the fact that the overall order of priorities was the same for both the general population, and for just motorists.

Professor Stephen Glaister, director of the organisation, said that the cost of buying and running a vehicle "is in danger of becoming prohibitive", and called on the leaders of the political parties to make their plans for motoring policy clearer for voters.

"It is clear that despite all the political and media argument about national insurance, fuel duty is actually the more important taxation issue on the doorstep," he added. "All too often transport comes way down the political agenda, yet the price of fuel means motoring has now become a major economic issue at the heart of the election campaign."

Three weeks ago the AA warned that fuel prices were at a record high - since then the average cost has risen by more than 1p.

Fuel comparison website PetrolPrices showed that yesterday the average cost of unleaded fuel had risen to 121.3p, with diesel at 122.7p.

Meanwhile, in an interview with the Telegraph published yesterday, Conservative leader David Cameron declared that he was "a friend of the motorist", pointing to his party's 'fair fuel stabiliser' policy, which pledges to make prices more consistent by lowering duty as oil prices rise, and raising it as oil prices fall.

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