Author:
Robin Roberts
Conservatives in the European Parliament delivered a setback for European Commission plans to erase tax benefits for diesel fuel, saying that a period of austerity and high fuel costs is not the time for such moves.
MEPS voted 374-217, with 73 abstentions, for an overhaul of the EU executive’s year-old draft energy taxation directive that would require members states to end their practice of taxing diesel fuel at lower rates than gasoline.
The Parliament’s recommendations are non-binding. But they lay the groundwork for anticipated changes in the Council of Ministers, where Poland has already blocked moves to impose stronger emission-reductions obligations, and at a time when high fuel prices may tame the political appetite for higher taxes. The MEP’s decision was seen as a win for consumers and the centre-right that led the fight.
The average petrol price has risen to a new high of 142.48p per litre after a brief halt to weeks of rises, motoring association the AA says. The average price of diesel, at 147.88p a litre, is just short of the record price set a week ago and petrol prices have risen by 10.23p a litre and diesel by 7.32p a litre, since the beginning of this year.
For the most accurate guide look at our car tax calculator and the pence per mile chart to help you decide which type of fuel you prefer for your particular purpose.
