Motorists pay enough

The latest proposal is that it should be increased, yet again, by an additional 5p per litre to 53.8p per litre. This would mean that since 2007, the price we pay has increased by over 413%, averaging at 59% year-on-year. This is extortion, especially when inflation stands at less than 10% of this year-on-year figure. This also indicates why we all need to stand together and categorically refuse to accept GST on this island. This shows what will happen if they bring that form of taxation in as well, starting low and then slowly but surely hitting the average household with increases until we are at a level similar to UK VAT.

Here is another way to look at the fuel con, and apologies for these rather crude figures, but they do paint a dark picture. Take 60,000 cars on Guernsey all using an average of 60 litres of fuel per month, or 720 litres per year. At the current rate, this equates to around £21m. of revenue for the States. If they add another 5p per litre then they will make at least another £1m. per year. Using these calculations, you can also work out that each car would pay £387 a year in fuel duty.

Before they abolished road tax on vehicles, I was paying £100 a year for a Ford Fiesta, so the revenue is at least 3.8 times more than they used to receive. My question to the States is, what are they doing with our money? All this extra money they never used to receive. Personally, I don't think anything has improved – there are certainly more potholes than there used to be and a lot more terrible decisions by policy makers.

Apparently this tax will mean fewer people on the roads as we all abandon our cars overnight, according to Deputy Roger Domaille. I can promise you it will not happen, Mr Domaille, and you are banking on the fact that it doesn't so that you can make more money. Families rely on cars to take children to school, to go shopping, for people to get to work. Do you really believe more people are going to leave their cars to wait for a bus in the wind and rain? At the moment, with the CT-Plus saga, you are lucky if one comes at all. I'm sure you aren't a regular bus user... only to keep up appearances, eh?

Finally, you wish to put another tax on the carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles. Again, the department is already punishing those with older, less-efficient engines, as they guzzle more fuel. This is an obscene double tax on those who are already stung financially.

Thankfully, I have a fuel-efficient car and so I lose as little money as possible to your department – and long may it continue.

Finally, all this shows is that the States of Guernsey do not care about hard-working islanders, again squeezing more low-income households, through to the middle classes. Deputy Roger Domaille, you are a local with a surname to match but obviously you don't care for the people of Guernsey. As a young individual who has their first mortgage, this is yet another way to make myself and others worse off. I really do hope you take the time to read this and I would be more than happy to discuss further at a time that suits you.

MARC R. BRETON,

2, Old Farm,

Rouge Rue,

St Peter Port,

GY1 1ZA.