Page Nine

Every time you fill up, roughly half the price goes to the Treasury. And part of it is a tax charged on another tax.

This week, Page Nine follows your money from the oil well to the pump. Where every penny of a litre goes, the VAT you pay on fuel duty, why oil has shot up, how we compare with Europe and America, and what last month’s Budget means for the 5p cut.

Every figure is checked. Sources:

• UK pump prices (DESNZ weekly road fuel prices): https://gov.uk/government/statistics/weekly-road-fuel-prices
• Pump price cross-check: https://www.petrolprices.co.uk/fuel-price-index.php
• VAT on duty, EU rules (Oireachtas): https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2022-03-30/27/
• Brent crude now: https://hdfcsky.com/news/brent-crude-oil-price-today-november-6-2026-brent-reclaims-100-wti-nears-92-both-benchmarks-head-for-12percent-weekly-decline
• Brent a year ago: https://report.az/en/energy/brent-crude-rises-to-63-58-per-barrel
• Strait of Hormuz tanker attacks: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Brent-Tops-110-as-Tanker-Attacks-Threaten-Persian-Gulf-Supply.html
• European petrol prices (EU Oil Bulletin): https://www.fuel-prices.eu/
• US vs UK prices: https://energyfactbook.com/world/gasoline-prices-by-country/
• Fuel duty and the 5p cut: https://petrolpal.co.uk/blog/fuel-duty-increase-september-2026

New episodes every Monday at 7am.

John Healey's first Budget, explained like you'd explain it to a mate in the pub. What you actually get, what it actually costs, and the small print they didn't shout about: the £100 energy payment against a forecast bill rise in January, what "scrapping standing charges" really means, and a big change to the state pension from 2030.

Plus we fact-check both sides, the Chancellor and the opposition, to the same standard.Sources:

HM Treasury, Budget 2026: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/budget-2026-document/budget-2026-html

Hansard, 28 October 2026: https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2026-10-28/debates/3C01A9B5-6F3F-4C82-95F2-21BDCBEBF7AC/FinancialStatementAndBudgetReport

Energy price cap forecasts: https://energymadeeasy.co.uk/guides/price-cap-january-2027

ITV: https://www.itv.com/news/2026-10-28/chancellor-john-healey-reveals-what-is-in-his-first-budget

Triple lock change: https://www.ii.co.uk/analysis-commentary/autumn-budget-preview-and-triple-lock-change-explained-ii540584

Sources: HM Treasury, Budget 2026; Hansard, 28 October 2026; Ofgem price cap forecasts; ITV, Reuters, STV, LBC.

Sarah's had pay rises. No tax rate has gone up. So why is she about £700 a year worse off?

The answer is one number the Chancellor didn't change in last week's Budget: the £12,570 tax-free allowance, frozen since 2021 and staying that way until 2031. We explain what it's quietly costing you, how millions more people have been pulled into paying income tax, and the one group the government did protect.

Sources: HM Treasury, Budget 2026; Office for Budget Responsibility, March 2026 forecast; AJ Bell; Resolution Foundation.Sources:

HM Treasury, Budget 2026: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/budget-2026-document/budget-2026-html

Office for Budget Responsibility: https://obr.uk/economic-and-fiscal-outlooks/

AJ Bell inflation-matched allowance: https://britbrief.co.uk/politics/policymaking/will-healey-raise-personal-allowance-to-15570.html

Resolution Foundation: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/?p=46797