Drivers' hopes that the current freeze on fuel duty is set to last appear to have been dashed.
Chancellor George Osborne confirmed today that the already-announced freeze for April 2015 would go ahead.
But today's report by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) spoke of a duty rise in September 2015 and April rises in line with RPI inflation in each of the years from 2016 to 2019.
AA president Edmund King welcomed the confirmed April 2015 freeze but said the OBR report appeared to confirm the view of 84% of AA members in a recent poll who said they were concerned that motoring taxes would increase after next May's general election.
The OBR report said: "Fuel duty revenues in each year between 2011-12 and 2015-16 are below their 2010-11 level, thanks in part to the reduction in the duty rate in April 2011 and subsequent duty freezes.
"The next duty rate rise, planned for September 2015, means that receipts are expected to increase by 0.3% in 2015-16. From April 2016 onwards duty rate rises are assumed to be in line with RPI inflation, leading to receipts growth of 2.5% on average between 2016-17 and 2019-20."
Mr King said: "Today's re-confirmation of a £15 billion investment in UK roads and the continuing fuel duty freeze puts drivers on a 'highway to hope' after some hellish years of high fuel prices, potholed roads and only patchy investment.
"But our members were right to be sceptical about future taxes."
Quentin Willson, of the FairFuelUK Campaign, said: 'We welcome the continual freeze in fuel duty but the Chancellor's tax take is now approaching 70%. He could have done more."
It was also announced in the Autumn Statement that the Government would press ahead with plans to introduce signs on motorways which display the price of fuel at service stations, to help promote competition and lower fuel prices.
The Department for Transport will begin work early next year on trialling a new fuel-comparison sign at five service stations on the M5 between Bristol and Exeter, with a view to introducing the signs by the end of 2015.
Transport Minister Robert Goodwill said: "For too long drivers have been ripped off by petrol prices on motorways."
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