澳大利亚已将燃油消费税减半三个月，爱尔兰下调汽油和柴油税，西班牙宣布出台5亿欧元（约57亿美元）的税收减免和补贴。英国方面，四分之一家庭表示无法承担850英镑的临时支出，若按7月1日执行，能源账单上限预计较上季上调18%，推高典型年账单至1,929英镑，若海湾战争持续则还可能继续上升。

尽管仍有压力，当前英国家庭能源支出占收入的比重仍低于近年常态，远低于2023年的峰值4,279英镑；当年政府实施9个月每户2,500英镑上限，财政负担达240亿英镑，占GDP的0.9%。政策研究机构估算，定向补贴最贫困五分之二家庭可将账单平均降275英镑，成本约38亿英镑，当前又在4月起下调了电费附加税中的150英镑额度。

进一步减负方案包括保守党主张三年取消5%能源增值税，预计成本25亿英镑；改革党则主张永久免税。当前有40%家庭处于固定电价期，全年仅10%能源消耗在夏季，故今年4月起平均账单或暂时下降约117英镑，但企业用电成本接近欧盟平均水平的两倍，且对天然气依赖使家庭仍容易遭受未来能源冲击。

Several advanced economies are moving: Australia has halved its fuel excise for three months, Ireland has cut petrol and diesel duties, and Spain has announced €5bn (about $5.7bn) in tax cuts and subsidies. In Britain, one in four households says it cannot afford an unexpected £850 expense, and the Ofgem cap forecast implies an 18% rise from July 1 to a typical annual bill of £1,929, with further increases possible if the Gulf conflict persists.

Britain’s household bill burden is still below the 2023 peak and below earlier long-run levels, including the £4,279 high, after the 2023 cap of £2,500 for nine months that cost £24bn, equivalent to 0.9% of GDP. A targeted support plan for the poorest two-fifths is estimated to cut bills by £275 on average at a £3.8bn cost, and the April move removed £150 in electricity levies while total remaining levies near £125 are now the next policy target.

The opposition is pressing broader tax relief: Conservatives propose waiving 5% VAT on energy bills for three years at roughly £2.5bn, while Reform UK supports permanent VAT abolition; businesses and unhedged firms are also likely to lobby hard. With 40% of households on fixed-term tariffs and only 10% of annual energy used in summer, average bills are likely to fall by about £117 this April from levy cuts, but structural dependence on natural gas remains the key risk, amplified by domestic electricity prices nearly double the EU average.

Source: The British government should not panic over fuel bills

Subtitle: It should sit tight for now, despite mounting pressure to protect consumers

Dateline: 4月 01, 2026 03:22 上午