A broad coalition of more than 120 organisations, including business groups and charities, has urged the UK chancellor to strip so-called “hidden taxes” from domestic and non-domestic energy bills.
In a letter to John Healey, who is due to set out his first budget on 28 October, the signatories — among them Energy UK, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), End Fuel Poverty and Age UK — said levies that fund energy and other policy measures currently account for roughly 10% of bills and should instead be met from government spending.
The group said removing these charges from consumer and business bills would help lower household energy costs and reduce the risk of firms being forced to close by high operating expenses. The appeal frames the levies as an avoidable additional burden on consumers and businesses that could be reallocated within the public finances.
The intervention heightens pressure on the Treasury ahead of the autumn budget, where ministers will face competing priorities on how to support households, firms and policy objectives while managing public finances. The organisations are seeking a shift in how energy-related policy costs are funded, from direct charges on bills to central government funding.
The letter represents a coordinated approach by large employers, trade bodies and charities to influence fiscal policy at a moment of heightened concern over living and business costs. The chancellor’s response, and whether any measures will be proposed in the budget to address the group’s demands, will be closely watched by consumer advocates, industry and the energy sector.