Average fill-up passes £100

There is no longer any option for going to craft markets and similar events, since the cost of getting there, parking, and getting home again is just extraordinary. This means that everything I do will necessarily be online, where I get lost in the noise and hidden from view by the likes of Amazon and so on, who can push their products in front of eyeballs with little effort. It's only the likes of NotOnAmazon or Silk Purse Guild that keeps me going. The cost of fuel as it is right now is obscene. Not only have our fuel companies failed to invest in ways to allow us to use less fossil fuels, they are effectively price gouging in to the bargain. The annual profits have been staggering for these guys, and we are a captive market. Much as I would swap to an electric vehicle in a heartbeat, I simply cannot afford the initial outlay.

The business mileage allowance rate for the 2022/2023 tax year remains at the 45p for the first 10,000 miles. Reducing to 25p for each business mile after the threshold of 10,000 miles. Any miles after this is seen as a benefit, therefore taxable, how are businesses, in particular smaller businesses expected to continue claiming such a low rate when the reality of the cost is double? The Government need to address this immediately.

I am based in Chesterfield but teach printmaking in Sheffield a couple of times a week. I also regularly travel to galleries, customers and shops in South Yorkshire and Derbyshire. The cost of fuel is having a negative impact as it's adding a huge amount to my outgoings. The government do not appear to be willing to help. I do not trust them at all.

This isn't a financial issue anymore, we need political intervention otherwise the impact will be colossal. It has such wide-reaching effects - the average consumer will be less likely to make journeys to other small businesses due to the cost, and businesses will see a hike in delivery costs which will get passed on to the consumer. It just creates a vicious cycle which will lead to mass unemployment and widespread poverty. It might not seem much to those in power, but paying an extra £20 a tank, when your weekly shop and heating bill are already skyrocketing, leaves you with nothing left to live on, and it'll just send us head first into a recession.