Diesel change tips

[swinny]

8 hours ago, scbk said:

I'm not clued up on it, but I think customs officer's have a lot of powers, they are acting on behalf of the queen. They can already go on to private land and test fuels, even if you're not there!

 

 

Fuels for use in vehicles (Excise Notice 75) before 1 April 2022 - GOV.UK

WWW.GOV.UK

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Find out which fuel you can legally use in different types of vehicle before 1 April 2022.

 

3.2 Making your vehicle’s fuel available for testing

You must make your vehicle’s fuel available for testing if one of our officers asks you to. If you refuse to allow our officers to take a sample, we may seize the fuel and the vehicle. We may also impose a penalty for your failure to comply with this legal requirement.

If you obstruct, hinder or assault one of our officers, we may prosecute you.

3.3 Fuel tested in your absence

Your fuel can be tested in your absence. You will be told about the test and the result in writing.

 

 

4. Powers of HMRC officers

Our officers are allowed by law to:

• examine any vehicle and any oil in or on it and to inspect, test or sample any oil in the fuel supply

• require vehicle owners or anyone in charge of a vehicle to open or cause to be opened the fuel tank or other source of the fuel supply so that the fuel can be located and inspected, tested or sampled – if there is anything in the supply which might hinder this, it must be removed

• require anyone in charge of a vehicle to produce any books or documents relating to the vehicle or to oil carried on it and which are carried by that person or on the vehicle

• enter any premises (except private dwelling houses) and inspect, test and sample any oil on the premises, whether in a vehicle or elsewhere – in entering the premises, an officer may bring with them any vehicle used for carrying out official duties

• require the occupier of the premises or the person in charge of them to facilitate the inspection, testing or sampling of oil on their premises or oil in the fuel supply of vehicles on the premises, irrespective of whether the oil or the vehicle belongs to that person or someone else – this includes attending normally unmanned premises when our officers require access to fuel

• require anyone concerned with the sale, purchase or disposal of any oil to produce on demand any relevant books or documents

• require you to provide satisfactory evidence that any fuel in your possession (including in your running tank) is fully UK duty paid

Did you sleep OK last night? You seem to be a worrier

[Squaredy]

What a mess has been made of tax on fuel!  It would be impossible for HMRC to properly police this so all it will do is cause a lot of confusion and resentment and pointless extra costs for countless companies.  Why should cutting a huge lawn on a vast country estate use red diesel when a little guy with a small lawn has to use white (or petrol)?  I know this probably should not be what will happen but we all know it will.

 

They should have abolished fuel subsidies altogether (including agriculture) and instead subsidise other aspects of agriculture or sports or horticulture etc where it is justified.  In other words only have white diesel.  If farmers or others need subsidies (farms earn more from government payouts than from selling their produce) then give them the payout for really beneficial activity like reducing the carbon footprint of the food production, or looking after nature on the land.

 

Having established that fossil fuel burning is so harmful why do we keep subsidising it?  And yes it is subsidised: until the cost of the fuel actually covers the cost of the harm it causes.  I.e. diesel and petrol cost needs to include the cost of clean up of disused oilfields for example.  Also it should include the cost of re-capturing the carbon emissions caused by burning said fuel.

[openspaceman]

3 hours ago, Squaredy said:

They should have abolished fuel subsidies altogether (including agriculture)

That's my thoughts too. Diesel and petrol are ideal fuels to collect tax on because there are so few refineries to deal with. Also gas oil is less likely to be used in domestic premises compared with kerosene and few modern engines will run well on kerosene.

[Haironyourchest]

12 hours ago, daveatdave said:

do they have right of access or would they need a warrant if on private property

It says they cannot enter a "private dwelling house". I would think this extends to a domestic property (ie. not a "premesis")... Anyway, it's horticulture whether you're doing it for yourself or being paid to do it for someone else. 

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

18 hours ago, scbk said:

I would think that it's highly likely that HMRC will dip tanks if they can issue fines out of it.

 

Construction sites, quarries etc would be an easy target, hidden away in a back garden, hopefully less so.

I heard they were teamed up with the DVSA at Tamar Bridge pulling over hire company delivery wagons checking fuel on machines out for delivery - seized if red found!

 

Also, some local plant hire firms are specifying - if it comes back with any trace of red you’ll be billed for flush and filter change. 
 

It may start to pinch if people start to react....

[woody paul]

7 minutes ago, kevinjohnsonmbe said:

I heard they were teamed up with the DVSA at Tamar Bridge pulling over hire company delivery wagons checking fuel on machines out for delivery - seized if red found

Easy pickings for them, any standard pull over check points they will be there not just dipping lorry tank but over bit of plant machinery on the back. 

[doobin]

17 hours ago, woody paul said:

Easy pickings for them, any standard pull over check points they will be there not just dipping lorry tank but over bit of plant machinery on the back. 

How do they prove that the machines haven’t just been used on an exempt task? Sounds unenforceable to me. 

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

8 minutes ago, doobin said:

How do they prove that the machines haven’t just been used on an exempt task? Sounds unenforceable to me. 

Burden of proof would fall to the machine owner / user not HMRC - who / where has it been booked out to? Follow the audit trail and then “look” at anyone involved in the audit trail. 
 

Nobody wants HMRC crawling up their ass!