Fuel Pump Rip off see petrol at £1.34 a litre

Once again we are seeing record fuel prices. The government seems loathe making any budgetary adjustment in order to keep petrol prices down in these very difficult times. The Conservatives, when challenged, have claimed the country cannot afford a tax cut while the country attempts to balance the books.

Of course the claims made by the government and the treasury are wrong. As oil prices rise, so does the amount of VAT collected by the government. They had suggested when in opposition to balance any oil price rise by also reducing excise duties, however they only suspended duty rises while at the same time raising VAT.

The actual cost of oil per litre is something like 45p, the cost of refining 1.5p, the retailer margin 7p. The real culprit in rising fuel prices is the Government.  Of the £1.34per litre of unleaded fuel, some 80p goes to the Government in the form of VAT and Excise duties. The higher the price of oil, the more the Treasury receives in VAT. If oil costs go to 50p, then VAT would rise also by around 2p, so in effect you would be paying 7p more for your fuel.

The Government sets its budget every year and does not account for a rise in oil prices, so in effect they are getting a surplus in their budget. Not to mention that all government vehicles cost more to run, it also adds to the pressures on inflation and further weakens our currency.

It is time our Government started to see the big picture here and get their heads out of their balance sheets.

Do you want your bills for free

Imagine this, not paying anything for your gas, electricity, telephone, broadband and mobile. Seems a little pie in the sky doesn't it? Actually it is possible. These days there are such an array of Internet and energy providers, but the question you need to ask is where is the real value. Do you get a good product, good customer service and value for money?

There are providers who will offer a cash bonus for joining, this would of course put you on a fixed term contract and quite possibly mean paying higher charges in the long term. There are other offers such as free calls, which are of course limited to certain times of the day and to certain numbers.

Utility Warehouse is still a little known company but has in excess of 350,000 customers in the UK. The reason they are not that well known is that they do not advertise, passing those savings on to their customers. The customer base is grown by recommendation. With distributors across the country promoting the services, Utility Warehouse has grown steadily over the years.

So how can you get your bills for free. Well Utility Warehouse offers a unique customer discount plan. For every customer you refer to Utility Warehouse you will receive a discount depending on the amount of services they take out. By referring customers you can build up enough discount to eventually get your bills for free.

Utility Warehouse offers the best value for money in the marketplace with consistently low prices. With the triple price guarantee, a double the difference offer, a cashback card and customer discount plan, Utility Warehouse has no peer.

For more information please visit www.startsaving.info.

The Big Energy Rip Off!

It has been annunced this past week that the average amount of money being made from each energy custromer has increased from £15.00 per year to £125.00 per year.

The government has been sitting on its hands generally while the rest of us have to cop the burden of this ridiculous rip-off.

Although some suppliers out there do encourange customers to save money, generally speaking there is little scope for the consumer to reduce their energy costs. Energy companies are quite right to point out that musch of the rises has been due to the escalating cost in the wholesale market.

The goverment has to take some degree of culpability, because the wholsesale price is directly affected by the weakness of the pound. Austerity measures have lead to a slowdown in growth and business confidence is surely at an all time low.

If we are unable to trade internationally there is no demand on the pound. This combined with the newly announced £75 Billion quantative easing only further devalue our currency which means it will continue to cost more to import oil and gas.

Inflation this week was again up to 5.2%. With wages growth stagnating and economic growth non-exisitent, the orindary householder is suffering further pressures to keep the household bidget in check. With less disposable income avaiable, there is little chance for an end to this current depression.

The savy consumer may find ways to make savings on their household bills, but for those without internet access may find it diffiuclt ahead of the winter.

It is time for the government to start addressing these issues or we will be continually ripped off but this almost unchesked industry.