Gordon's Taxation

Looks like a shot in the foot to me. It'll put petrol prices up.

| > I can just imagine him now, grinning, nay, chucking in merriment with the | > thought of how well his taxation on the oil companies would dig him out of | > a hole and please the public at the same time, just as he comes to power | > as Lord of England, well Prime Minister anyway. What a clever laddy. | > Anyone happy about the taxation on the North Sea Oil companies? Or is that | > just going to lead to more tax on us? | | Looks like a shot in the foot to me. It'll put petrol prices up. |

And which will of course in turn raise more revenue for the Treasury.

He's not daft you know!

Perhaps if people thought about what they used their cars for more and used them a little less, then maybe we wouldn't be so bothered about an increase in the price of fuel. The fact is, we waste fuel by the gallons by doing millions of short trips of less than a mile or two, clogging up the roads, causing congestion and polluting the environment etc etc. Of course, if you want to use your car for just doing those short trips, then go ahead, do it - and pay for it in the process and keep Mr Brown happy.

Don't be so sure. It might lose him the election.

Well I hope it does - this government has comprehensively taxed us all up to unprecedented levels and its far, far beyond a joke. Not to mention the rest of the government's non-financial policies...

Let's see what this young new whipper-snapper in the commons can do to resolve the situation for the good of everyone.

No, it will leave the oil companies with less incentive to invest in dying North Sea fields where they face the reality of diminishing returns. Luckily we're "awash with gas" so it doesn't really matter.