Excise matters, but politicians can pay a price for market meddling

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Well behind in the polls and with cost of living pressures biting deep, the move to cut the fuel excise would at least signal government empathy, writes Chris Uhlmann. | OPINION petrolprices auspol fuelexcise

Time is rapidly running out for the Morrison government to cut through to a grumpy electorate, so the temptationIt would be a bad idea which won’t stem the international forces of supply and demand, but desperation routinely trumps reason. In political terms, it would look like an answer and keeping up appearances often matters more than it should.

This isn’t a new debate. There are clear echoes of 2001 when John Howard, trailing in the opinion polls ahead of the election, reluctantly embraced a 1.5¢ a litre cut to excise, and the axing of indexation. Then again, petrol prices were headed towards $1 a litre!“Australians are very sensitive to petrol prices,” Howard said.

It was a retort to the Rudd government’s typically ambitious, multi-pronged war on the cost of living that had bogged down badly on the way to the front armed with two inspired initiatives: Fuel Watch and Grocery Choice.

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No need to bow to media pressure.......Liberals are not Labor. Market will take care of itself.

Market price will correct itself......not a big deal.

Wow that's cheap fuel.

Create a permanent gap in government revenue to address a temporary price spike and 'signal empathy'. God, Uhlmann's such a hack.

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