§ Sir Sydney ChapmanTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total tax levied on a litre of standard unleaded petrol on 1 May 1997; and what it is currently. [117672]
§ Mr. TimmsThe total tax (excise duty plus VAT) levied on a litre of standard unleaded petrol on 1 May 1997 was about 46p and that levied at the end of March 2000 was about 61p. Most of the duty increase is accounted for by the operation of the fuel duty escalator, which is no longer being applied.