Thoughts on fuel prices

[warren t claim]

Don't deny or disagree with that Wazzer old lad. The trouble is any measure taken by any government that starts bringing a nice few quid in for them is never likely to be reversed by any future parliaments so if we get taken to the cleaners by extra fuel duty and no RFL we're pretty much knackered forever.

 

Sadly this is true. Because of weak opposition by Labour from 79-94ish and the Conservatives between 97-08/9 whichever party has been in power has been has had the clout to do whatever they feel like because of the size of their majority. Parties in opposition are always quick to shout foul at new taxes but seem somewhat reluctant to ring the changes when elected.

[willswitchengage]

In all fairness Blair and Brown loved taxing fuel so much to fund their little Anglo-American crusade that they even brought the country to it's knees when people stood up to them and blocked refineries.

 

Express a political opinion on a forum = fail at life.

 

Let's put it in context:

 

 

The protests were in 2000 and 2005. Considering fuel is now ~£1.40 at the pumps it's not hard to work out that there are far, far more important economic factors that command retail prices.

 

 

Duty in real terms almost doubled under Major but flatlined under Blair.

[warren t claim]

"Express a political opinion on a forum = fail at life."

 

Regular readers will know that I DON'T have any political opinion. I'm a "yellow bellied" non-voter.

[Cavcraft]

I like the way you said to make political comments was to 'fail' then quoted The Guardian. Tomorrow maybe you could enlighten us on immigration and perhaps quote something from The Daily Mail?

[DSdriver]

 

Duty in real terms almost doubled under Major but flatlined under Blair.

 

This apparently only comments on fuel duty and not VAT which is 20% of pump price so when oil price goes up government gets a large bonus. Statistics and graphs are usually bollocks.

[willswitchengage]

Eh? VAT is pretty straightforard - been 17.5% between 1991 and 2008(?). The proportion of total taxes taken from pump prices has been pretty much the same for the past twenty years

[worldofceri]

If I understand those graphs correctly, they are adjusting fuel prices to take into account inflation.

 

What a pointless exercise.

 

So they're saying that if inflation goes mental it doesn't matter how much duty the government whack on fuel, it'll still be cheaper than it used to be 'in real terms'.

 

Yeah, sure, because everyone's salary will have kept up or exceded inflation, of course. What bollocks.

 

Simply an apology for tax, tax, tax, spend, spend, spend policies if you ask me.

 

 

 

Fucking hell, I'm making political comments on the internet. I need to go and have a beer.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

Eh? VAT is pretty straightforard - been 17.5% between 1991 and 2008(?). The proportion of total taxes taken from pump prices has been pretty much the same for the past twenty years

 

Yes, but the actual amount that goes to the government increases together with the pump price.

[willswitchengage]

Well, er, yes. Wholesale fuel prices are obviously out of the Gov't's control. It's no different from any commodity, such as domestic fuel, that has increased in price of the past few decades.

 

Yeah, sure, because everyone's salary will have kept up or exceded inflation

 

Fact of the day... MP's pay rises with the higher retail prices index, pensions and benefits rise with the lower consumer prices index. Woah, political!

[SambaS]

I don't intend having any kind of intellegent debate but I will voice my opinion. WHAT A LOAD OF S**T! Thats what I rekon to paying 1.48 a litre. And in 1 year when its 2 a litre, well...

[Tonka]

It must be at least 5-6 years ago now and I was paying £1.10 a litre for proper leaded 4 star for my Jago even though it ran far better on it than unleaded/additive I thought it was extortionate and I was being penalised for having an old car for occasional use on sunny days, nowadays I just automatically pay £1.40 litre to drive to work without thinking about it, maybe it's just apathy on the part of the fuel buying public, maybe a proper boycott at the pumps would make the oil companies take notice?

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

I don't intend having any kind of intellegent debate but I will voice my opinion. WHAT A LOAD OF S**T! Thats what I rekon to paying 1.48 a litre. And in 1 year when its 2 a litre, well...

 

You could always opt for the 62p per litre alternative...

[willswitchengage]

Forget petrolprices.com, I just go on Google Streetview to find cheap petrol. £1.17 at my local Shell

[gtd2000]

It must be at least 5-6 years ago now and I was paying £1.10 a litre for proper leaded 4 star for my Jago even though it ran far better on it than unleaded/additive I thought it was extortionate and I was being penalised for having an old car for occasional use on sunny days, nowadays I just automatically pay £1.40 litre to drive to work without thinking about it, maybe it's just apathy on the part of the fuel buying public, maybe a proper boycott at the pumps would make the oil companies take notice?

 

It's not the oil companies that make fuel expensive...the fuel itself is very reasonably priced.

 

It's the government and those twats that bet on commodities that make the price so high.

[Father Ted]

I feel fuel is too expensive, but when I was paying 37p a litre I felt it was too expensive. I'll always feel its too expensive.

[DSdriver]

You could always opt for the 62p per litre alternative...

 

Bastards are charging 79p around me.

[Station]

I was OK with paying 90p - 100p for petrol, but 40p on top of that hurts. I remember it came down to that (92p) in late 2008/early 2009 from 1.35+ and it was such a relief.

The pro-expensive fuellies don't take into account you don't pay for just 1l when you fill up, but in my case a full tank. 95p p/l would've got 52 litres, three years later it gets 37 litres. Petrol is in line with electricity, gas, food, in that you spend a lot of money on it.

It's 1.36 cheapest around here now (gone up 3p in a week). Grim.

[gtd2000]

I feel fuel is too expensive, but when I was paying 37p a litre I felt it was too expensive. I'll always feel its too expensive.

 

What year was that?

[Father Ted]

I feel fuel is too expensive, but when I was paying 37p a litre I felt it was too expensive. I'll always feel its too expensive.

 

What year was that?

1988

[504GL]

As it stands the tossers with those shit little free tax cars can drive around as much as they like burning loads of fuel a year for free. I on the other hand do about 2K a year in my Granada (its more of a toy than transport) and pay £215 and the cost of the petrol I use!! How is that fair?

 

Whilst I understand your reasoning, why is someone who owns a car that has 0 tax a tosser?

 

We bought our 500 for a number of reasons, the fact that it's only £30 tax is one of them. What kind of idiot doesn't take advantage of an opportunity to save money?

[AXrescuer]

Sadly the ridiculous cost of fuel has forced me give up driving completely. I never would have believed that at 50 years old, I would not be able to afford to run a car. But, with a large family, mortgage, stupidly high utility bills, and ever increasing food prices the car had to go. I fucking hate what is happening in this country. Now if only we could fit all of us into the wife's company Fiat 500!

[Cavcraft]

As it stands the tossers with those shit little free tax cars can drive around as much as they like burning loads of fuel a year for free. I on the other hand do about 2K a year in my Granada (its more of a toy than transport) and pay £215 and the cost of the petrol I use!! How is that fair?

 

Whilst I understand your reasoning, why is someone who owns a car that has 0 tax a tosser?

 

We bought our 500 for a number of reasons, the fact that it's only £30 tax is one of them. What kind of idiot doesn't take advantage of an opportunity to save money?

 

+1. really don't get the (very occasional) hatred of new/economical/diesel/electric cars. If people want cheap/free road tax and a car that's dirt cheap to run, then why not?

[eddyramrod]

free road tax and a car that's dirt cheap to run

 

[504GL]

free road tax and a car that's dirt cheap to run

 

 

Bloody tossers in their old cars not paying road tax while I have to pay £30!!!!!!

[eddyramrod]

That was 32 years ago, I still had to pay....

[garbaldy]

Sadly the ridiculous cost of fuel has forced me give up driving completely. I never would have believed that at 50 years old, I would not be able to afford to run a car. But, with a large family, mortgage, stupidly high utility bills, and ever increasing food prices the car had to go. I fucking hate what is happening in this country. Now if only we could fit all of us into the wife's company Fiat 500!

 

 

This is what i find hard to get my head round you have given up driveing completely why its not realy the cost of fuel that seems to be your problem.

 

when fuel hits £2 i will still drive even if that meens eating out less or useing cheeper brand foods, i dont smoke or drink so my pleasure is driveing and if it gets dire i will change all my motors to dizzlers or small pezz flavour, i wont be giveing up my driveing thats for sure infact now is the best time ever to be buying big thirsty v8s as they are dirt cheep

[eddyramrod]

ridiculous cost of fuel ...mortgage, stupidly high utility bills, and ever increasing food prices

 

I think these are the key phrases, and I understand only too well! The only answers, sadly, are earn more or spend less (or steal, but let's not go down that road... ). Earn more? Unlikely. Spend less? There's a limit to how much of that you can do, because you very quickly get fed up of doing without your little luxuries, like say Yorkie bars, and after a while you get fed up of doing without the bigger luxuries too, like say holidays. Even if you live in a holiday destination. So basically, it's the same as always: big business and politicians have the rest of us well and truly stuffed. The west would do well to look at Greece. Riots are only the beginning.

[gtd2000]

I honestly don't find the cost of living to be that high in the UK.

 

I spend a lot of time over in the USA which used to be dirt cheap compared to the UK but it isn't anymore. Seems that many parts of the Eurozone are more expensive than the UK too?

[willswitchengage]

 

Move to this region of the UK and all your cost of living problems will be over. Plus, it's generally just better.

[eddyramrod]

I am doing just that!