Lindsay de Sausmarez also said that the proposal, from Jayne Ozanne, would disproportionately affect wealthier households.
‘Over a quarter of low-income households don’t have a car at all and those that do use much less fuel,’ she said.
Deputy Ozanne’s amendment asks the States to approve a fuel duty rise of 2.3%, while the Budget is calling for 4.3%.
‘If the amendment is passed, the average low-income household can expect to save up to about £5.50 over the course of an entire year,’ said Deputy de Sausmarez.
Hear more on this week’s States preview podcast
Deputy Ozanne said the recent inflation bulletin showed poor people in Guernsey were continuing to get poorer. While higher income households will see the lowest overall increase inflation of 3.2%, for those on lower incomes it could be as high as 4.8%.
Overall inflation is expected to average 3.3% next year.
‘That is why my amendment is so important next week, as it is one of the few ways we can try and help lower income households, who are more likely to drive petrol cars and least likely to have newer cars that are more fuel efficient,’ said Deputy Ozanne, who has also added her voice to those calling for a new tax on electric vehicles.
‘I think it deeply unfair that large electric vehicles, which are far heavier than smaller petrol cars, pay nothing towards our road upkeep,’ she said.
‘This EV tax would more than cover the loss in fuel duty created by my amendment, which seeks to reduce by RPIX (1%) the cost of fuel and could be easily collected through a simple “tick box” on our annual income tax returns.’
But Deputy de Sausmarez said that the issue of an EV tax was already on the agenda.
‘We’re on the case. And no-one has been as big a champion of that as me,’ she said.
‘This is a really well-meant amendment but it will not do what the proposer expects.’
Deputy Ozanne said she was bringing social policy into public finances.
‘We need social policy to be heart of all our decisions, and the setting of our annual Budget is the most critical in this respect,’ she said.
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