UK drivers still paying the price at the pumps, figures confirm

For many years now, British motorists have complained that they are forced to pay over-the-odds for their fuel, especially when compared to their counterparts in mainland Europe or, even more notably, in the United States.

Now, the government's own figures have confirmed such suspicions to be true, with tax and other levies pushing the prices at UK pumps far higher than those charged on Continental forecourts.

According to the statistics from the Department of Energy and Climate Change, fuel duty and VAT now account for 66 per cent of the total price of petrol being paid by Brits, with diesel being particularly hard hit by the taxman.

This compares with a typical rate of 42 per cent in the European Union, meaning British drivers are being forced to stump up an extra 12 pence per litre to fill up than motorists across the Channel.

While some green groups are likely to welcome the figures, believing that tough taxes will help to encourage people out from behind the wheel and onto public transport, other observers argue that millions of people are being unfairly penalised as they travel to work or use their cars for family commitments.

"Drivers are being hit at both ends - at the pump and through the added cost of getting goods to the shops," said Luke Bosdet, head of consumer affairs at the AA,

"We are reaching the point where families cannot absorb any higher costs."

At the same time, however, another set of figures also suggest that growing numbers of Britons are looking to take money-saving measures of their own, including investing in a more fuel-efficient car.

Helped in no small part by the 'cash for bangers' initiative, which has seen drivers offered £2,000 to trade in their old vehicles for new replacements, sales of cars to private buyers have risen by 86 per cent over the past year.

According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers, some 168,942 new cars were registered in October alone, though fleet car sales were seen to drop by two per cent over the same period.

But, unfortunately for those motorists currently saving up to take advantage of the government scrappage scheme, ministers look determined to go ahead with plans to put the level of VAT up again in the New Year, thereby potentially adding hundreds of pounds to the price of a fresh-off-the-forecourt model.

As it stands, then, many families could look to give themselves a new car as a Christmas present this year, though it is unlikely that the government will make lowering the cost of fuel one of its New Year's resolutions.