The AA is warning the chancellor not to pull any “tricks out of his box” to hammer the motorist in tomorrow's Pre-Budget Report.

Since the last PBR, fuel duty has risen by almost 6p per litre. Therefore, the AA argues, the chancellor should not be looking to revise his plans on fuel duty.

“Petrol and diesel in the UK are already heavily taxed so we don’t want to see the chancellor pulling any tricks out of his box to hammer the motorist," said Edmund King, AA president.

"We are concerned that for political reasons he may try to get away with an immediate fuel duty increase rather than wait for the forecast 1p increase next April.

"This could hinder economic recovery because as a nation we are dependent on road transport for getting goods to our shops and ports and for 90% of passenger travel.

"It would also undermine consumer spending that will underpin economic recovery.”

In the last Budget, the chancellor said fuel duty will increase by 1p per litre in real terms on 1 April each year from 2010 to 2013.

He also announced that from April next year Vehicle Excise Duty will be split into 13 different bands in order to strengthen the environmental signal.

In addition, from April next year the differential First-Year Rates of VED (Showroom tax) for new vehicles would be introduced.