Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the likelihood of VAT inflating petrol and diesel prices as retail prices increase.

Unique circumstances globally, including the war in Ukraine, have pushed pump prices up to unprecedented levels. In response to fuel prices reaching their highest ever levels, the Government announced at Spring Statement 2022 a temporary 12-month cut to duty on petrol and diesel of 5p per litre across the UK. This cut represents savings for households and businesses worth around £2.4 billion in 2022-23.

VAT has been designed as a broad-based tax on consumption, and the twenty per cent standard rate applies to the vast majority of goods and services. While there are exceptions to the standard rate, these have always been strictly limited by both legal and fiscal considerations. VAT makes a significant contribution to the public finances and, according to OBR forecasts, will have raised approximately £135 billion in 2021/22. As you will know, any reduction in tax paid is a reduction in the money available to support important public services, including the NHS and policing.