Fuel prices

mrposhman

The fall from $160 a barrel of oil to $35 a barrel of oil is a whopping 78%. In my area, prices were around about £1.20 at the height of the oil price yet fell to about 84p once the price dropped which was about a 30% decrease. Why the massive difference?

This is not about tax, its about people not forcing this reduction on the retailers. The producers have had to sell at a loss to the retailers but it would seem the retailers have increased their margins.

The rise since oil bottomed seems about right, petrol has actually risen slower in % terms than the oil price rise but the fact remains that the difference between 78% and 30% is massive and our prices did not fall to reflect market conditions at the end of last year.

Don't expect the government to help, the higher the price of petrol, the more cash they receive in tax.

Indout96

It is- but you forget the other expenditure in the US, namely the fact that healthcare is so damn expensive. If your unfortunate to take ill there- you'll pay a damn sight more than the difference in 60p more a litre! We also have a choice in public transport that is non existant there- Swings and roundabouts.

Not had to use a hospital / doctor other there BUT I have bought medicine which is cheaper and visited a dentist who was also cheaper than in the UK and without the wait.

Not sure where you live but I live in Bradford, my choice of getting to work (4 1/2 miles) is car 10 mins or 2 busses and a 10 min walk through a park plus at weekends the bus does not start until after I have to be at work.

blue_haddock

hale.berry09 wrote: »

My husband converted my car ( Mercedes ML350) to LPG last year - it runs a treat and I get about 270 miles for £40 worth of gas? Would recommend converting to LPG !

I'd check either those figures or your mileometer as 270 fromn what would be approx 80 litres of LPG works out to roughly 15mpg which is seriously bad even for the type of vehicle that it is!

flyingscotno1

Indout96 wrote: »

Not had to use a hospital / doctor other there BUT I have bought medicine which is cheaper and visited a dentist who was also cheaper than in the UK and without the wait.

Not sure where you live but I live in Bradford, my choice of getting to work (4 1/2 miles) is car 10 mins or 2 busses and a 10 min walk through a park plus at weekends the bus does not start until after I have to be at work.

You are rather lucky then not having to use a hospital in the US. I won't go in to full details, but in our family we had an issue with paperwork- and the hospital basically told us that we wouldn't get someone in a diabetic coma treated, so can we leave the premises- try another hospital. Embarrassing for a developed nation- it did get sorted, but so sad they think of the $ before patient care. Medicines on prescription in America can be cheap- $4, but if you qualify for medicare too. If not some folk end up paying salaries in prescription costs- they are the highest in the world.

MEMBER02

Local esso garage raised prices from 100.9 on monday to 101.9 and saturday same week from 101.9 to 103.9,thats 3p a litre in a week,why these regular increases????

MEMBER02

Local esso garage raised prices from 100.9 on monday to 101.9, and saturday same week from 101.9 to 103.9,thats 3p a litre in a week,why these regular increases????

hale.berry09

blue_haddock wrote: »

I'd check either those figures or your mileometer as 270 fromn what would be approx 80 litres of LPG works out to roughly 15mpg which is seriously bad even for the type of vehicle that it is!

Even though it's a 90 litre tank generally can only get around 65 litres in it. :rolleyes:

Jennifer_Jane

Re the healthcare situation in the US, here's what I understand is going on with some of our US colleagues with serious health issues (one with depression, and some with serious back problems - one has just had an operation and is recovering*, and he is desperate to get back to work because he's missing it for one thing, and one who has just had a hysterectomy).

The following day after the op, the last person was on the phone saying she was working from home. One of the back people* is likely to lose his job unless he turns up for work the first week of July ('abandoning the job'); no such thing as a 'sick note'. So even if the Doc says you're too ill to work, that's not going to get your salary paid.

Our people (it's a large UK Company) are appalled at the US situation, which is barbaric. There's nothing we can do, though, it's their rules.

These are all people with (Company) health care insurance and in management positions, but are certainly now going onto either halfpay or no pay, and, as I say, may lose their jobs.

Sorry to go off topic, but agree with the posters who say US is not necessarily better than the UK! How lucky do you feel....

Better to try Australia where (am I right with this?), medical care is free for Australian citizens.

Jen
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