Healey to scrap tariffs on marmalade and gherkins in pre-Budget package

Chancellor John Healey is to remove import tariffs on marmalade, gherkins and more than 100 other products as part of a pre-Budget package the government says could save households up to £21 a year when combined with existing tariff suspensions.

The government describes the measures as “everyday fixes” intended to ease pressure on household budgets. Marmalade imports currently face a 20% tariff and an additional £19 charge per 100kg, both of which are due to be suspended. The government has not said how much of the estimated saving would come from these newly announced changes.

The package also includes changes to carer’s allowance, a permanent tax-free mileage rate for eligible work journeys and two weeks of paternity pay for self-employed fathers. The government says the allowance changes will let carers earn above the current limit without losing all their payment, replacing the cliff edge with a gradual reduction. The mileage rate will remain 55p per mile for the first 10,000 work miles, with the rate above that rising from 25p to 35p.

The Conservatives criticised the tariff plans. Shadow chancellor Andrew Griffith called the offer of cheaper gherkins “an insult to families hammered by Labour’s tax rises” and said higher borrowing costs, taxes and inflation had already wiped out the benefit of the government’s measures.

Healey said wars in Iran and Ukraine had pushed up everyday costs for families, adding that the government could act where it had influence. The package is being announced ahead of the Budget, when the government is also expected to extend the 5p-a-litre fuel duty cut, according to the BBC.