This is how much tax you pay every time you buy petrol or diesel amid calls for fuel duty rise

Calls have been made to increase fuel duty in a bid to cut emissions following the announcement that the tax on petrol and diesel has been frozen for a 9th year in a row.
This is how much petrol and diesel costs you in taxThis is how much petrol and diesel costs you in tax
This is how much petrol and diesel costs you in tax

After the news that the government is set to keep fuel duty at the same level, reversing a planned 1p increase which would have raised £9billion in taxes, many responded with calls for the rise to go ahead.

@Mattrink said on Twitter: "Stop saying this like it is a good thing. Raise fuel duty, invest more in green solutions and future generations will thank you for it..."

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@Elainebks aid: "Just think, a small rise in duty could promote more environmental travel...."

-> BMW driver avoids arrest for having flashing blue lights fittedBut how much tax do you actually pay on your petrol and diesel at the pump?

Well, according to figures released by transport research charity the RAC Foundation, the amount of Fuel Duty on petrol and diesel currently stands at:

64.55% of the pump price per litre for petrol

60.8% of the pump price for diesel

This is how much petrol and diesel costs you in taxThis is how much petrol and diesel costs you in tax
This is how much petrol and diesel costs you in tax

As of December 2018. Then, VAT is charged at 20% on top of the total price (including fuel duty, so effectively you're taxed on the tax)

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This means that if you pay £1.30 for a litre of petrol, you would pay

83.9p per litre of petrol

79p per litre of diesel

Scaling this up, if you bought 40 litres of unleaded petrol at £1.30, you would pay

£52 in total

of which,

£33.56 is tax

£18.44 pays for the petrol

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