Jye

If you compare the price of petrol over the last fifty years or so you will find that on average a gallon of normal four-star was about the same as the price of 20 average cigarettes give or take a few coppers.

Both commodities are taxed to the hilt, as is alcohol, because the government knows that the public cannot and will not do without them so we are doomed to being ripped-off until the oil runs out. They only pay lip service to any campaign to persuade us to give up tobacco and limit our car usage because without the revenue from both the country would be broke and would have to raise the money from other sources or drastically cut its expenditure. Strange how there has never been a serious campaign to limit our alcohol intake. Could it be that as alcohol befuddles the brain and once inebriated we couldn’t care less about the price of petrol but you need a clear head to drive safely and sitting down with a *** and a brew helps to concentrate the mind on a problem.

The crude oil producing countries controlled by OPEC start the process off by increasing the production of crude oil when the price gets a bit too high and reducing it when the price gets too low on the open market. Price increases come to be imposed rather swiftly but reductions seem to take their time before becoming effective. My understanding is that if two or more producers maintain the price of their product by agreement this is a cartel. That in the free world is not legal. So how does OPEC get away with it? Could being major supplier of crude oil have anything to do with it?

The oil companies too are very slow in bringing the price of their produce down when there is a glut of oil around but are fast off the blocks when the price has to go up. Hardly any wonder that one such company has, this last year, made a profit of over £9b.

The government has two bites at the cherry in taxing petrol. There is import duty and VAT where both are calculated on a percentage basis.

So we can protest all we like and campaign till the cows come home but it will make no difference to the government or the oil companies or OPEC. They will continue to control the price of vehicle fuel and we can like it or lump it. Eventually the less well off will have to give up their cars thus unclogging the roads and the government will have achieved one of its objectives whilst at the same time maintaining the same level of revenue from fuel taxes. The poor and elderly and those from rural and isolated aread who really need to use a car will lose out as usual.

I will leave you with this thought. If science has been successful in producing a fuel to run motor vehicles from rapeseed oil, a very renewable source of energy, do you think that the price of a gallon of this fuel would be any different to a gallon of petrol or diesel?

Rachael

Just felt that I ought to put something in here.... not that it relates to fuel prices directly....

I have spent the last 2 years of my life being VERY grateful to the NHS for providing a wonderful service. I had 15 tests in 2 months before cancer was diagnosed. Within a week I was in hospital, a month later I had been sent to Birmingham for some non-essential (though I considered it essential) discussion on health issues that could be affected by treatment for the tumour. 3 weeks later I started my treatment, followed by regular home visits from a specialist nurse, a district nurse, enough pills to make me rattle and visits to a hypnotherapist to combat needle phobia. At no time did I not feel that I was a priority. My cancer involved 3 more operations and more chemo.
I am now back at work (I teach) and as far as I am concerned, I no longer have cancer. Considering that 17 months ago my consultant couldn't tell me what my chances of recovering were, I'm pretty healthy!
The NHS may be under funded and under staffed, but by no means is it cr@p.

Fuel prices? I agree, they're too high!

STi wanna Subaru

iTrader: (1)

good to hear you're back to good health

Riprock

Sigh......optimax goes from 83.9p last week to 85.9p this week .Perhaps they should have like a fruit machine spinning round for the price