The tax applied to a gallon of gasoline in Britain is higher than anywhere else in Europe -- and possibly the world -- a study has found.

The Association of European Automobile Manufacturers study found that the average British citizen pays more than $1,700 a year in gas taxes, which places Britain at the top of the 27 European countries surveyed, The Telegraph said Saturday.

Such gas tax payments by British citizens surpassed those paid by residents of the United States, Australia and Canada.

While the British government had been prepared to implement an additional fuel tax this year, a spokesman for the Treasury said such a move has been deferred for now.

The government understands that families are feeling the pressure from high fuel prices. To respond to short-term pressures, we announced in the Budget that the 2 pence per liter increase, scheduled for April 1, will be deferred until October 1, the unidentified spokesman said.

Our immediate priority, however, is to encourage international pressure on the oil-producing countries in OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) to bring down high oil prices.

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