Gas Prices

[ntalwar]

I'm not trying to be rude, but isn't there already a tax on gas and it's already added into the price (help me out I can't remember what this type of tax is called, but they do it to, i think, stamps and other items as well.).

Yes - indeed there is. I didn't word my reply properly.
I was referring to the overtaxing of gasoline.

Anyway, the details I looked up from Wikipedia are:

US:
"The U.S. federal gasoline tax as of 2005 was 18.4¢/gal (4.86¢/L), and the gasoline taxes in the various states range from 10 cents to 33 cents, with an average about 22 cents per U.S. gallon (5.8¢/L). "

UK:
"As of 2005 fuel duty in the United Kingdom is:
50.9 pence per litre (89 ¢/L) for conventional unleaded petrol "

So about 40 cents of a US gasoline gallon is tax.
In the UK, it is around $3.34 per gallon as tax.
An additional 2 or 3 dollars (or even less) of US tax would get politicians kicked out of office.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

3.25 a gallon today... up from 3.09 yesterday. i'm glad i waited a day to fill up

 

[Doozer61]

me too! 8.4 gallons=$27.50

 

[daygloeyes2]

The $20 I paid for gas today didn't even get me 1/2 a tank.

 

[anitram]

As per Wikipedia, the Americans pay an average of $0.22 taxes per GALLON.

By comparison the Canadians pay 40-50% of their cost in taxes, which currently means about $1.50 per GALLON. That is if our gas cost $3/gallon like in the US. Since it actually costs almost $4, we are paying $2/gallon.

The Dutch pay 66% of the cost in taxes so they pay about $2 per GALLON, IF their gas cost $3/gallon like in the US. Since it costs over $6, they are actually paying more like $4 in taxes.

And the funny thing is, the US media and people in general are screaming about this the loudest while the rest of us are getting fleeced anywhere from 8-10 times as much per gallon!

 

[TheQuiet1]

they don't even have sidewalks around here.

That'd be absolutely unthinkable here.

 

[bono_212]

Speaking of the gas tax did you hear that they're thinking of getting rid of it to help prices?

 

[BonoIsMyMuse]

I paid $23 to fill up my Saturn last week, and I still had 1/4 tank when I did.

My parents sent me a gas gift card for Easter this year. Chocolate be damned!

 

[nbcrusader]

Adusted for inflation, US prices are still cheaper than they were in 1980.

 

[Lila64]

http://autos.msn.com/everyday/gasstations.aspx?zip=&src=Netx

 

[Lally1011]

$4.09 for 87 octane in central CA and rising.

 

[randhail]

Speaking of the gas tax did you hear that they're thinking of getting rid of it to help prices?

How is it that bad ideas continue to get brought up, while actual good ideas are never even mentioned?

 

[gvox]

Yeah, dream on for the day when the gas co's will lower the ppg by the amount of the tax slash. they won't, they'll just pocket the difference

time to move on, people. new energy sources is the only way to go

 

[ntalwar]

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

So happy I didn't get the Escape.

 

[MooMoo!]

In the Uk our petrol amounts to roughly $8.50 per gallon.

Link

 

[Diemen]

Whodathunk that California is actually a red state?

 

[Liesje]

I'm riding my bike to work, if I can afford t get it fixed after paying for gas yesterday...

 

[bammo2]

I wish our petrol was as cheap as it is in the US

I pay about £40 to fill up my little 1.3 Mazda. And it's getting more expensive every day. I paid £1.09 per litre today

 

[gvox]

$1.29 per litre here

 

[bammo2]

Beat you

 

[Zoomerang96]

having lived and paid for petrol in both europe and north america, it's interesting how north americans feel hard done by.
at least by comparison to europe, north american petrol is cheap.

the one good thing about high prices is hopefully this increase the demand for cleaner energy alternatives. mass produce a fucking electric car already. mankind put someone on the mood decades ago and we're still putting the same shit in our cars to make them run as we did 70 years ago.

 

[Liesje]

having lived and paid for petrol in both europe and north america, it's interesting how north americans feel hard done by.
at least by comparison to europe, north american petrol is cheap.

Not excusing Americans (hey I'm not complaining, I purposely moved 3 blocks from my office!), but I think the standard of living as a whole is higher in many western European countries. For example, Ireland's minimum wage is $13.38 (just Googled the first country I thought of ) and the US' is $7.25 which just came into effect.

Michigan may not have the highest gas prices, but we have the worst economy and worst unemployment. So yeah, when you're making about half of what people in Europe are making, plus often driving hours a day to/from work as many do, the gas prices hurt.

I'm lucky I can afford to chose where I rent, so we are both close to work/school and can drop other activities farther away if we need to.

 

[MooMoo!]

Britains minimum wage is £5.52. Irelands equivelent in pounds is £6.53, so thats £1 higher anyway. Things are quite pricey over there I believe so its not really as if you're earning more money.

 

[dsmith2904]

Public transportation in Southern California is pitiful, but I don't think that's the main reason why so many people drive and use so much gas, I think it's housing. Even with the current crash, many people (myself included) can't afford to live near where they work, whether buying or renting.

 

[Liesje]

Britains minimum wage is £5.52. Irelands equivelent in pounds is £6.53, so thats £1 higher anyway. Things are quite pricey over there I believe so its not really as if you're earning more money.

That's exactly the point, it all evens out. We can't really compare prices in the US vs. prices in Europe, we should compare prices against the work wages in the same country. Things cost a lot less here....we make a lot less here.

 

[ntalwar]

Europe doesn't have the level of suburban sprawl that exists in the US - it's much more dense, walkable, and mass transit-oriented. Most European cities were built before cars were invented, and the car ownership rate is lower and commutes are shorter.

 

[JCOSTER]

The highest gas price I've seen is so far is $3.94.

 

[corianderstem]

Yeah, I have to say that it rubs me the wrong way a little bit when non-Americans chide us for complaining about gas prices.

I understand that we pay a lot less than other countries, but that doesn't mean a lot of Americans don't hurt when our prices rise little by little.

At work, I talk to employees who are working retail, trying to provide for a family on wages that are frankly, not nearly enough to do so. They struggle to make ends meet as it is, and rising gas prices mean something else has to not get paid to ensure they can get to work.

What a slap in the face to have imply they should suck it up and stop their bitching, because they're not really paying that much for gas in comparison.

 

[Mr. BAW]

I drive an '05 Nissan Altima; I will usually fill when my gauge reads 1/4 tank left...kinda takes the sting outta paying the high price...and I've cut my trips to LA to twice every two weeks; the rest of So CA is fair-game as its not STOP and NO-GO!

Plus, I get reimbursed for mileage at .55 a mile so that helps a lot...