Gordon: master of stealth. Yorks Post last Friday.

From: Alan Chapman, Beck Lane, Bingley, West Yorkshire.

TOWARDS the end of 2008, the Chancellor reduced VAT by 2.5 per cent. However, in order to maintain the retail price of motor fuel and alcohol, he increased the excise duty by the same amount. Since then, we have endured further increases in duty at the delayed Budget.Now that the temporary VAT reduction has concluded, VAT is imposed again at the higher figure of 17.5 per cent. Significantly, the Chancellor has not made a compensating reduction in excise duty to lower those retail prices to the previous status quo, resulting in a double whammy....

Cheers, Gordon! Let the motorist pay the entire bill for bailing out your mess, eh? I would not be at all surprised if that weren't in your 'muddled green thinking'.