Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of using a proportion of VAT accruing to the Exchequer from the rise in fuel prices to help low income households with the cost of living.

Increases in VAT per litre of fuel from rising prices are likely to be largely offset by reductions in VAT on other items if households have less to spend on these items, given higher fuel expenditure and a fixed budget. Therefore, this would not lead to a significant increase in overall VAT receipts. The Office for Budget Responsibility now forecasts lower VAT receipts for this year, 2022-23, than they did in Autumn 2021.

The Government understands how the rising cost of living is making life harder for people. These are global challenges. However, as set out in the Spring Statement 2022, the Government is providing support worth over £22 billion in 2022-23 to help families with these pressures.