Campaigners have dubbed the onslaught of price hikes ‘April Fuels Day’ (Picture: Getty Images)
With food and fuel still at stratospheric prices, it doesn’t feel like anything else can get any more expensive.
But millions of Brits are about to be hit by utility and tax bill increases from tomorrow – and sadly, it’s not an April Fools’ joke.
Everything these days, from interest rates to rent has already gone up.
Now energy, water and broadband bills as well as mobile tariffs, council and car tax, prescription drug charges and stamps are set to increase.
Many cash-strapped and vulnerable will see their energy bills go up by £67 as the Government winds down its £400 energy discount for electricity customers.
The payments have been made monthly since October and will end today – though the Energy Price Guarantee, which caps bills at £2,500, has been extended to July.
A form of Government support on fuel bills is coming to an end tomorrow (Picture: Getty Images)
Water bills haven’t seen the eye-watering spikes of gas and electricity, but they’re not immune to the cost-of-living crisis.
In what will be the largest increase in almost 20 years, the average water bill will swell by 7.5% a year, or by £31, the industry body Water UK said earlier this year.
While this figure is below the 10.4% inflation rate, consumer groups raised swift concerns over the hike when one in five already struggles to pay for water.
Broadband and phone providers are about to throw a 14.4% mid-contract price jump on customers, amounting to around £78 more annually.
Big telecom suppliers like BT, EE, TalkTalk, Three and Vodafone all increase their prices in Spring based on the consumer price index as a measure of inflation, but they tend to amp up the pain by adding an additional 3% increase.
Though customers with Virgin Media and O2 face a particularly punishing increase of 17.3%, or even up to 25%, as these companies rely on the higher retail price index.
Getty Images/iStockphoto)
This stealth ‘broadband tax’ will total more than £377,000,000 this year alone in a tax high enough to cover Scotland’s entire NHS budget, research by Rebel Internet found.
Six in 10 (65%) broadband customers cannot understand the justification for the hike, which is up to 3.9% above the current rate of inflation, the research form the broadband company said.
Council tax – which funds local services – will also surge from tomorrow. Most local authorities up and down the UK will push it up by 5%.
This will shove a mid-tier Band D property over the £2,00 threshold for the first time, equating to an extra £100 each year for households.
Motorists will as well see the cost of car tax, otherwise known as Vehicle Excise Duty, be driven up by 10.1%.
How much people pay for their prescriptions on the NHS is also set to rise by 30p, from £9.35 to £9.65.
Water bills are set to see a sharp increase (Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
The cost of prescription pre-payment certificates – that make the cost of medicines a little cheaper for a few months – is rising too.
A three-month PPC is going up from £30.25 to £31.25, and a year-long PPC will rise from £108.10 to £111.60.
Stamp prices are – you guessed it – on the up. A first-class stamp is going from 95p to £1.10 from April 3, while second-class from 68p to 75p
Tomorrow has been dubbed ‘April Fuels Day’ by campaigners such as Simon Francis, coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition.
‘People are being taken for fools. The Government is saying that it is providing support to households, but the reality is that everyone’s bills are going up,’ he said.
‘Even when market conditions return to energy bills later in 2023, people will still be paying double for their energy than they were in 2020.’
Campaigners feel Chancellor Jeremy Hunt isn’t doing enough (Picture: Carl Court/Getty Images)
Tucker George founder of Rebel Internet told Metro.co.uk: ‘The idea that Big Broadband providers, such as BT, Virgin and TalkTalk, can up their prices by up to 14.4% is shocking; customers get no better service or connectivity for this – it’s all just lining the pockets of these big “industry leaders”.
‘These hikes are hitting consumers at a time of desperate need. We’re in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis and customers need to be treated with respect.’
Emily Seymour, a consumer expert for the watchdog Which?, added that, with this avalanche of cost increases, there’s one thing that needs to be done.
‘As this new wave of price hikes take effect, now more than ever it’s critical that the government and essential businesses – such as telecoms firms, energy companies and supermarkets – do everything they can to support consumers and provide clear information on what support is available,’ she said.
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Sadly, this isn’t an April Fools’ prank.