Brits paying money for nothing

MSN Money has revealed the nation is wasting huge amounts of money every year due to carelessness and neglect.  We've coined the term ‘idiot taxes' to describe these forgetful and stupid acts, like putting the wrong fuel in a car engine and locking keys inside the home, and estimate they are costing Brits an estimated £4.4 billion each year.

According to an MSN Money poll, the most common idiot tax is the loss or breakage of mobile phones.  A quarter of people admitted to forking out a large amount to replace their phone, in turn costing the nation up to £2.4 billion annually.

Most people are aware of credit card charges, but just as dangerous are seemingly unassuming film and book rental charges. One fifth have fallen foul of this idiot tax, with late fees and lost DVDS costing the nation a whopping £7.6 million.

Despite passing gruelling driving tests, one in 10 drivers confess to mistaking diesel for petrol and filling up car engines with the wrong fuel.  At over £100 a time to repair the damage, it collectively adds up to an additional £547 million a year.

Meanwhile, a further one in ten commuters within London admit they waste money by failing to pay the London Congestion Charge, which in total amounts to over £91 million a year.

Simon Ward, MSN Money's Senior Editor, commented: "Last year, Brits lost money through misplaced phones, DVDs, laptops, keys and more. Hectic lifestyles mean that people are constantly on-the-go and more likely to leave belongings behind, lose things or forget to make essential payments.  Ensuring we are keeping on top of basic costs and trying to keep a more watchful eye out is key to saving money in the long run."

Also in the idiot tax league table is forgetting travel tickets and losing passports, costing the nation a combined amount of over £440 million. Perhaps the recent trend of ‘staycationing' isn't so much planned, as a fall-out from our own forgetfulness.

In the past year, the following has cost Brits the most money
 
1 Breaking or losing a mobile phone 26%
2 Forgetting to return a DVD or library book 20%
3 Mistakenly putting diesel in a petrol car 11%
4 Forgetting to pay the London Congestion Charge 10%
5 Losing a wallet/ purse 9%
6 Forgetting a train or plane ticket 6%
7 Locking house keys inside your home 5%
8 Losing a laptop 4%
9 Locking keys inside a car 4%
10 Losing a passport 4%