States Members to debate cutting fuel duty

Fuel duty in Jersey could be cut later this year, as part of an effort to tackle the cost-of-living crisis, if States Members agree. Deputy Lucy Stephenson has lodged a proposition calling for a 10p cut in the excise duty payable on a litre of fuel.

If agreed by States Members at their first regular meeting in mid-July, the cut would be introduced on 1 October for a period of three months.

Deputy Stephenson, who was recently re-elected in St Mary, St Peter and St Ouen, said that her proposition reflected feedback from voters to candidates throughout the election campaign.

In March, the Jersey Consumer Council said that the government stood to profit on GST and fuel duty intake as costs increased and called for emergency measures to help ease the burden on Islanders. Caritas Jersey has also called for fuel duty cuts.

Deputy Stephenson said the proposition reflected our calls for action to be taken, following the price rises that began in early March, following the outbreak of hostilities in the Middle East between Iran and America at the end of February.

Deputy Stephenson quoted the Consumer Council in emphasising that fuel prices did not just effect those with vehicles, but all Islanders because of the effect on prices more widely.

In recent weeks, the Council has seen fuel prices start to slowly fall across the Island on our Prices.je price comparison site. But Deputy Stephenson said that despite this, the proposition still needed to be taken seriously.

Commenting on the recent reduction of fuel prices, Jersey Consumer Council Chairman Carl Walker said: “We saw the very first dips in petrol prices just over two weeks ago, just before the latest peace deal was announced, so it is possible that they had peaked.

“Now that a firmer peace deal seems in place, and that we have seen the wholesale price of oil come down, we will hopefully see that start to filter through to the pumps in Jersey soon.

“This will not only be good news for drivers but also consumers as a whole, as almost everything we buy is impacted by the cost of fuel.”

In her proposition, Deputy Stephenson said: “Cost of living pressures was the number one issue highlighted by Islanders at this year’s election. It is no longer just those on the lowest incomes struggling to make ends meet, but spiralling costs are impacting Islanders at all ages, stages of life and those earning a seemingly ‘good’ wage.

“We no longer have a temporary cost of living crisis but a sustained, long-term economic and human challenge. In response, seemingly every single election candidate – and therefore all States Members now in office – said they would take action on the cost of living. This proposition is an opportunity to follow through on that commitment.”