Britain’s green-focused climate plans suffered a major setback when the MPs narrowly voted on Friday to introduce taxes on public EV charging stations to help offset soaring gas prices.

Starting in May the cost of topping up the battery of an electric vehicle at a charging station operated by one of the UK’s public charging networks will be subject to a 30 percent tax. The money raised will be used to subsidize the reduction of duty on a liter of unleaded by 30 pence ($0.18), with priority given to owners of performance cars who are struggling the most. That reduction comes on top of another 15 pence reduction announced by the Chancellor last month, which critics claim didn’t go far enough.

Senior executives from Blink, Chargepoint, Electrify England and EVGO all expressed their dismay at the news. “This is exactly the kind of backward thinking we might have expected from the former Trump administration in America,” said Avril Frost, CEO of London-based Jizzed, which co-operates more than 700 stations across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

“Fortunately, we know that the huge cost of actually buying an electric car means most EV drivers can afford it anyway, and most have large houses so can use their driveway chargers, which aren’t affected by the tax, but that’s besides the point,” she added.

Related: Washington State Governor Signs Bill To Ban Sale Of ICE Cars By 2030

U.K. EV drivers face 30 percent tax when using public chargers; home/work charges are exempt

EV drivers though, are understandably disappointed by the news. “I’m furious,” MG ZS owner, Jen Hickinbottom, told Carscoops. “I was persuaded to overlook the fact that my car is noisy and has a terrible ride by the promise of cheap electric charging,” said the Stevenage resident and minor social media celebrity who claims in her money-saving blog that composting her faeces saves her hundreds of pounds each year on water bills. “At a stroke the government has just got rid of my car’s USP.”

Sylvester J Glydenbollocks, Conservative MP for Crumpet, and a senior advisor to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, claimed the move was unfortunate, but the only feasible and fair way to reduce the price of fuel in the UK.

“Some of my local constituents have been paying as much as five guineas for a gallon of unleaded in recent weeks,” explained Montague. “And that comes on top of alarming increases in the price of domestic gas and heating oil. We had no option but to introduce this measure to help the neediest in society.”

And it seems like the UK’s decision has piqued the interest of politicians on the other side of Atlantic. “I’m very reluctant to go down the path of electric vehicles, as some of you may know,” said Sen. Dick D. Hardagain, Rep, Arkansas, “I think we should be focusing on help hardworking Americans with hardworking trucks first, and I have no doubt that my Republican colleagues will offer their vocal support when I introduce a similar bill to the House next week.”

However, Tesla boss Elon Musk seemed unconcerned by the British government’s move, or Sen. Wilson’s keenness to replicate it on this side of the Atlantic.

“Can’t say too much yet,” Musk replied to a Twitter poster asking about the matter. “But working on over air updates for UK drivers that will reduce tax burden to 5 percent. Same tech coming to U.S. soon,” wrote the company’s CEO without elaborating further.

A little birdie told us that an April Fool’s Day jokester likely contributed to this report.