The average price of diesel in the UK has reached a record-breaking high of 199.18p a litre. In cash terms, Britain has never paid more for the fuel that moves the supply chains of the country. Some pumps are at 200.9p. Some at 203.9p. A 55-litre tank is more than £112. Petrol sits at 174.13p. A few years ago that number alone would have been a scandal in itself. Since the end of February, diesel has risen 56.8p a litre, almost 40% in seven months. The same vehicle fuel tank that cost about £78 then now costs £109.55. Thirty-one pounds extra. Every fill. Same van. Same job. Same miles. People blame the oil price. The oil price is real. It is not the whole story. Far from it. Fuel duty is 52.95p a litre. VAT at 20% on a 199.18p litre is 33.20p. Together that is 86.15p of tax on every litre - 43% of the pump price. Then comes the detail that should outrage every single motorist. VAT is levied on the duty as well as the fuel. The government slaps 52.95p of duty on the litre, then takes 20% VAT on its own levy. At today’s price that is 10.59p of VAT on duty. Tax on tax. No private firm could invoice a customer that way and keep its reputation. When the government does it, it is called policy. And the government don’t give a shit. They are fleecing us into the ground. There is a second number. In 2025 the Competition and Markets Authority looked at fuel retailers and found their margins “far above historic levels.” Supermarket fuel forecourts were taking 8–9.1%. In 2017 they took about 4%. Up like a rocket when wholesale rises, but only marginally down when it falls. Watch how fast this record only marginally retreats if crude prices eventually fall. In the three months to the end of June, ExxonMobil made $14.5 billion - its strongest quarter in four years. Chevron made $12 billion - its best in six years. Shell’s profit more than doubled to around $10 billion. BP more than doubled to $5.73 billion. The five big Western major fuel corporations together hoovered up close to $50 billion in a single quarter. Same war. Same crude. On the driver’s side, a record litre. On the government and fuel corporations side, a bumper harvest at our motoring expense. The Treasury takes 86p of every litre and charges VAT on its own tax. The fuel giants post bumper profits. Diesel is not a lifestyle choice. It is the engine room of the supply economy. Lorries, tractors, delivery vans, buses, boats. When diesel rises, the cost of almost everything that moves rises with it. The record at the pump reappears later in the shopping basket, the delivery charge and the invoice - with VAT on some of that too. If you think VAT-on-duty is a racket or that fuel duty should be cut before the next global shock becomes the next bill, tell your local MP who votes on it before the October Budget. Enough is enough. We are being treated like suckers by the government and the vulture corporations.