Removing import tariffs on more than 100 products are among five ‘everyday fixes’ announced by the government to help families deal with the cost of living.
When combined with tariff suspensions already introduced, including charges on 125 ‘everyday essentials’ announced by former chancellor Rachel Reeves in May, the government said households could save up to £21 on their food shop each year.
Due to be fully announced by chancellor John Healey in the Budget on 28 October, the list of tariff cuts in the latest ‘everyday fixes’ plan include:
- Baked beans
- Chocolate
- Gherkins
- Garlic (8% + £100 per 100 kg)
- Gherkins (12%)
- Citrus jams, marmalades and pastes (20% + £19 per 100 kg)
- Throat pastilles and cough drops (8%)
- Boiled sweets, filled or unfilled (8%)
- Toffees, caramels and similar sweets (8%)
- Plant-based beverages (soya, nut, cereal or seed) (8%)
- Chocolate-coated waffles/wafers (8%)
- Kerosene (4%)
- Fertilisers (between 2-6.5%)
We will update the above when the full list is published.
The other ‘everyday fixes’ announced by the government are:
- Making permanent a 55p per mile tax-free rate for those driving up to 10,000 miles for work, with the rate rising from 25p to 35p per mile above 10,000 miles. The government said the changes will provide £120 a year in tax savings for a worker driving 6,000 business miles, and £300 for someone doing 15,000 business miles.
- Extending parental pay to more than 150,000 additional parents per year, including self-employed dads and partners who have previously missed out. Eligible parents will receive two weeks of support currently worth up to £194 a week.
- Allowing carers to earn over the weekly earnings limit without losing their entire carer’s allowance. Instead, £1 of support will taper away for every additional £1 earned.
- Installing more Post Office drop boxes to bring the total to 500 by the end of 2026 and 1,000 by the end of the financial year. This is intended to make it easier and more convenient for people to send and return parcels without having to queue at a Post Office counter.
