Think Tank Urges VAT Cut On Heating Oil Amid Rural Fuel Poverty Concerns

A think tank has called on the government to slash VAT on domestic heating oil, while raising the alarm about “elevated rates of fuel poverty” in rural communities, ahead of the chancellor’s Autumn Statement. The Countryside Alliance, which advocates for rural concerns, said in a briefing note on Tuesday that rural households faced a staggering 15.9 percent fuel poverty rate in 2022, with a £956 fuel poverty gap, which is the additional income needed to bring a household to the point of not being fuel poor. The briefing, which was released alongside Alba Party MP Kenny MacAskill, underscores the severe impact of the cost of living crisis on rural communities, revealing a 45 percent rise in anxiety among respondents....