Osbourne Backtracks on Fuel Duty Rise

Motorhome owners feel the pinch during the winter months; fuel costs usually increase, that motorhome insurance renewal is due, all alongside a big tax bill. Today, however, saw the release of the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement which brought some welcome good news for motorhome owners; January’s scheduled increase in fuel duty has been scrapped.

Good News for Motorhome Owners

This news will come as a welcome surprise for motorhome owners. It is claimed that the plans will save ordinary drivers around £40 a year, but this could be considerably more for the average motorhome user. Motorhomes are less efficient than cars and, thus, fuel costs are more expensive, but the average motorhome user also tends to do more miles on longer journeys.

Greater Certainty Needed

There have been calls for greater certainty in fuel pricing so that drivers can have some expectation of what their costs will be year on year. Mr Osbourne’s announcement comes just a few weeks before many drivers were bracing themselves for the increase. Knowing that the tax has been scrapped could mean plenty of people who were worried about rising fuel prices can now get out on the road.

Filling the Gap

Of course, a decrease in taxes might be on the cards this year, but the costs of maintaining roads to the government have been soaring over the last few years. There will need to be a system established in which drivers are paying for what they use and, unfortunately, that may come from rises in road tax. We will wait until April’s budget for news on this.

Today’s statement is, all in all, good news for motorhome owners, but we should not expect the luxuries to hang around too long. Roads are expensive affairs and we will have to see them paid for in the future.