Three Government sources reportedly said the Prime Minister had expressed fury that the 5p per liter fuel tax cut was not materializing at many pumps after it was announced in March. The move comes at a time when Mr Johnson was already facing growing Tory pressure on his leadership, with an increasing number of MPs submitting letters of no confidence to Mr Johnson and three ministers publicly criticizing Downing Street over the partygate scandal .
Sources told the Telegraph: ‘On Mr Johnson’s orders, Department for Transport officials have been tasked with drawing up proposals to ‘expose’ those who do not pass on the reduction.
“Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, has suggested a government-run ‘forecourt watch’ or ‘pump watch’ system to name and shame wrongdoing companies. »
A Downing Street source told the publication: ‘Officials are considering available mechanisms to expose companies that do not pass on tax benefits to consumers.
“Mr Johnson’s war on petrol retailers follows the announcement of a windfall tax on oil and gas companies last week.
The RAC said retailers were “taking on average 2p per liter more” than they were before the 5p cut.
Last week, senior ministers discussed the idea of imposing a similar tax on oil companies, we learned.
In a Cabinet phone call, Nadhim Zahawi, the education secretary, pointed out that gross profits from fuel sales reported by forecourt giant EG Group rose 16% in the first quarter of the year. year.
But a government source said No 10 and ministers had decided to pursue a less “interventionist” measure.
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Opposition parties have repeatedly touted the idea of a windfall tax on the record profits of oil and gas companies, saying the money raised could be used to help those struggling the most against the rising cost of oil and gas. life.
Households in the UK are being hit by rising fuel, energy and food costs as inflation hits a record high in the country.
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Source: www.express.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-05-29 02:10:24
