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Gas and Electricity Prices

The obvious palliative is to scrap the VAT on energy and do a Tesco (every little helps).

I can understand the sentiment, particularly right at this moment, but, in reality, we should be looking to increase the VAT on electricity to 20% (including industry) to 'discourage' our using it or to use it more sparingly. The less well off in our society will obviously need some assistance in order to afford their energy bills.

We also need to make gas increasingly more expensive in the real world both to discourage its use and remove the imbalance in pricing between gas and electricity.

As I have posted elsewhere there is a need for a 'holistic' overview of a range of issues at this time but this government is not alone in the world in not really wanting to address it.

There are challenging times ahead and it is no use pretending otherwise.

Regards

Richard
 
Industry can reclaim VAT on the whole so it makes no difference and pay at 20% anyway.

Gas heating is around 200g/kWh heat provided with an efficient boiler, so actually not too much different to electricity generation in that respect.
 
Has this impacted car petrol diesel etc now? People were queuing up for quite some distance outside the Asda petrol station just now, both before and after my shopping, so not just a glitch. Never seen that here before.
 
Has this impacted car petrol diesel etc now? People were queuing up for quite some distance outside the Asda petrol station just now, both before and after my shopping, so not just a glitch. Never seen that here before.
Passed a few petrol station queues this morning and my local (large) BP station has run out. Price went up overnight too.
 
Passed a few petrol station queues this morning and my local (large) BP station has run out. Price went up overnight too.

Funny, that; tell people there's no need to panic and it immediately has the opposite effect (a la Dad's Army?). My reserve tank 'ding' went as I was at my Sainsbury's traffic lights at 0915 this morning. Couldn't get across because of the queues stretching across the yellow hatched area in front of me (illegal, of course). I dropped in for some shopping on my return and managed to enter the fuel station from the car park, avoiding the long access queue.

Local news interviewed a driver who had travelled between 3 Essex towns looking for fuel, and failed (lastly at Sainsbury's Colchester). I'm glad I panicked because who knows how the fuel delivery situation will be next week. 2 tennis colleagues were travelling from Norwich to Worcester and Cardigan (250/350 miles approx.). I wish them luck.

It's said above that VAT hits the poorest most but it is a tax on spending, much of it non-essential, so an element of choice is involved. Good old purchase tax was the same from the manufacturer as from the retailer (fixed at source), but VAT is nasty, increasing at each step and I hate it ! Having said that, across the water, it's 21% so we're marginally better of, I suppose.
 
Funny, that; tell people there's no need to panic and it immediately has the opposite effect (a la Dad's Army?). My reserve tank 'ding' went as I was at my Sainsbury's traffic lights at 0915 this morning. Couldn't get across because of the queues stretching across the yellow hatched area in front of me (illegal, of course). I dropped in for some shopping on my return and managed to enter the fuel station from the car park, avoiding the long access queue.

Local news interviewed a driver who had travelled between 3 Essex towns looking for fuel, and failed (lastly at Sainsbury's Colchester). I'm glad I panicked because who knows how the fuel delivery situation will be next week. 2 tennis colleagues were travelling from Norwich to Worcester and Cardigan (250/350 miles approx.). I wish them luck.

It's said above that VAT hits the poorest most but it is a tax on spending, much of it non-essential, so an element of choice is involved. Good old purchase tax was the same from the manufacturer as from the retailer (fixed at source), but VAT is nasty, increasing at each step and I hate it ! Having said that, across the water, it's 21% so we're marginally better of, I suppose.

BBC News made it headline story for last night's PM so funny old thing, everyone gets a panic on and panic buys.

Still doom and despair is what makes a better news story, so I suspect there are a few news editors getting a bit of a semi-on at the prospect of a Winter bonanza of fuel and food shortages and price rise stories.
 
edit: Calculator seemingly created by 'jimjames' on Money Saving Expert forum

Thanks, Caledon. Interesting exercise, and easy too. Seems that I'd be better off on SVR to the tune of over £100 p.a. if that calculator is to be believed, as a comparison with the Octopus 24 m fix I sorted 10 days ago.

Two options are looming this winter. Say 'sod it' and use energy as you have done, and the other is to pile on the clothing, revert to 50s/60s style internal temp's and concomitant privations. This would be the 'greener' option, if that matters, but there's a subtle difference between being young and robust then but ancient and decrepit now.

Would my valve amps provide additional heating whilst effecting their primary duty and fulfilling two functions? Long may this Indian summer last.
 
Funny, that; tell people there's no need to panic and it immediately has the opposite effect (a la Dad's Army?). My reserve tank 'ding' went as I was at my Sainsbury's traffic lights at 0915 this morning. Couldn't get across because of the queues stretching across the yellow hatched area in front of me (illegal, of course). I dropped in for some shopping on my return and managed to enter the fuel station from the car park, avoiding the long access queue.

Local news interviewed a driver who had travelled between 3 Essex towns looking for fuel, and failed (lastly at Sainsbury's Colchester). I'm glad I panicked because who knows how the fuel delivery situation will be next week. 2 tennis colleagues were travelling from Norwich to Worcester and Cardigan (250/350 miles approx.). I wish them luck.

Ridiculous! I was low today so filled up at my local garage, where the owner comes out and does it for you. Said he’s got no supply problem, but if it looks like there will be, will keep enough back for the locals anyway.
 
Two options are looming this winter. Say 'sod it' and use energy as you have done, and the other is to pile on the clothing, revert to 50s/60s style internal temp's and concomitant privations. This would be the 'greener' option, if that matters, but there's a subtle difference between being young and robust then but ancient and decrepit now.
Last winter, I only turned on the heating for about half a day. Hopefully the coming one will be equally mild.
 
There is no fuel shortage, I work in the industry. There is however a shortage of drivers which tbh is only truly affecting one haulage company which supplies a few petrol companies. The amount of forecourts affected was tiny, till panic buying that is..
 
There is no fuel shortage, I work in the industry. There is however a shortage of drivers which tbh is only truly affecting one haulage company which supplies a few petrol companies. The amount of forecourts affected was tiny, till panic buying that is..

Once again the public misinterpret the facts, not helped by some of the press.
 
Queues at most of the local petrol stations on Wirral, some with only the E5 stuff left
 
Once again the public misinterpret the facts, not helped by some of the press.

Not helped by lying politicians. The economy is fine (it’s not), there is no inflation (there is), levelling up (for the well-off) and you only have to work two hours to make up for the removal of the UC £20 top up (lots of rude words)…….
 
I can understand the sentiment, particularly right at this moment, but, in reality, we should be looking to increase the VAT on electricity to 20% (including industry) to 'discourage' our using it or to use it more sparingly. The less well off in our society will obviously need some assistance in order to afford their energy bills.

We also need to make gas increasingly more expensive in the real world both to discourage its use and remove the imbalance in pricing between gas and electricity.

As I have posted elsewhere there is a need for a 'holistic' overview of a range of issues at this time but this government is not alone in the world in not really wanting to address it.

There are challenging times ahead and it is no use pretending otherwise.

Regards

Richard
The well-heeled advocating for essential utilities to be made even more expensive, but with the proviso that the less well off (undefined) will need some assistance.

The Tory scumbags have already stolen £20 a week from Universal Credit recipients but I am sure they will ensure no one starves or freezes to death.....food banks are everywhere, no?
 
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