The government will freeze petrol and diesel duty until the end of the year until the government’s tax reforms are implemented, according to a draft of a new tax plan released on Tuesday.
The move will allow ministers to focus on the issues of public safety, health and the economy, the Treasury said in the draft.
“We know that many of our people rely on our roads and railways, and that they rely on the fuel that they buy to keep them going, while reducing the amount of money that goes to the pockets of those who can least afford it,” said Treasury Secretary Mark Carney.
“The time to act on these matters is now, not after the next election.
We will be announcing the changes as they become more fully known, including our plans to freeze diesel duty from 1 July 2019 and petrol duty from the end, when the reforms will be implemented.
The government has said the reforms are designed to bring the UK’s fuel prices in line with the cost of living.”
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said the government was determined to make the transition to a more efficient fuel system “as quickly as possible”.
“We’ve got the lowest fuel tax in Europe, but we also have the lowest rates on fuel and on pollution,” he said.
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It is also the right time for us to put in place measures to tackle the fuel tax crisis in our country.”
