Wigwam the whole idea of fuel duty was not only to help fill government coffers but to restrict the use of Diesel and Petrol vehicles. The rate of duty, as on fags and booze, inexorably rose every budget until 10 years ago. So yes as far as I’m concerned the freezing of duty on fuel for ICE vehicles is a form of subsidy.
Glos Guy it’s not about politics it’s about corruption on a massive scale. Take a look at the latest episode of Panorama and judge for yourself. All governments use carrot and stick levers to deter behaviour judged as harmful to society whilst rewarding those behaviours judged as beneficial to society. As mentioned most EU countries provide not only incentives to buy clean motor vehicles but also scrappage schemes as well.
Given the massive future costs caused by pollutants to not only the environment but also human health I think subsidising clean energy now is by far the most economically beneficial option.