'How much should petrol cost?' Poll discussion

Jo_F

sobrique wrote: »

I'm going to go against the trend, and say that I'm fine with steadily escalating prices on petrol - the money has to come from somewhere, and as a country, we're very greedy for fossil fuels.

As such, I'd be prepared to support an increased price in the cost of fuel - £2/litre, or more perhaps?

But with a caveat: Lets get rid of 'road tax' and other taxes applied to cars (presumably the insurance is taxed too?). Perhaps congestion charge too?

However, at the same time, I'd want to see a massive reduction in the cost of public transport. It is absurd that a train fare from Coventry to London is >£100 at peak times -when even with very expensive fuel, it's probably only about £20 to take a car (even before you fill it with people!)

I would also want serious expansion of the public transport network - I don't use a car now because I want to. I use it because it's significantly more expensive and time consuming to get anywhere by public transport.

It's not just car users paying though, are you going to charge the haulage industry £2 a litre? If that happens, then it pushes up the cost of everything and I mean everything, even the bus components being moved about to the bus building factories.

Food, clothing, waste disposal, everything that needs to be moved will have to increase in price to cover the costs to industry, even mail, as it will cost the RM more to move it from region to region.

KTF

Haulage companies can claim back the VAT on the fuel they use so are only hit by the underlying changes.

michaels wrote: »

Hello - there was a poll and the majority said they would like petrol to be cheaper..no !!!!!!

Exactly. If you were to ask anyone if they would like to pay less for things they buy you can imagine what the answer would be...

DaveW007

I need my car as I'm a community carer. Without it I will be unable to do my job as often I have to take people under my care out shopping, collect pensions etc.

Fuel is way too expensive here in the UK.

It would be nice to see it down to £1.00 per litre but that isn't going to happen is it?

fiendishlyclever

I don't think I'd make a popular chancellor...

Personally I'd like to bang up car tax to discourage 2nd car ownership as people who do short commutes (like the lazy parents who clog up my streets dropping their kids off at school when they live a 10 minute walk away) aren't affected by high fuel prices as much as high mileage people like myself. Their journeys aren't essential and their cars never warm up so spew out a range of noxious fumes.

Oh and I'd ban cars over a certain age on environmental grounds as well.

I grew up as a child without a car and we coped well, but I guess rail and bus fares were a lot cheaper then as well (rail prices have priced people out of long journeys). We did use our legs though - an asset many people forget we have!

MDE

The Government needs to better manage its income streams by taking foreign vehicles as they enter the UK. This isn't a racist or off the wall comment, I regularly used to drive through Europe in a previous job, and had to pay for usage of their roads:

France- Tolls
Austria- Tolls (automated collection system)
Switzerland- vignette

To the very best of my knowledge, a foreign registered vehicle can come off the ferry or train, clear customs and then be thundering around out motorways with no cost unless they happen to fuel up over here.

Obviously, increasing the number of income streams means each stream can be a little bit lower.

beachie

fiendishlyclever wrote: »

I don't think I'd make a popular chancellor...

Personally I'd like to bang up car tax to discourage 2nd car ownership as people who do short commutes (like the lazy parents who clog up my streets dropping their kids off at school when they live a 10 minute walk away) aren't affected by high fuel prices as much as high mileage people like myself. Their journeys aren't essential and their cars never warm up so spew out a range of noxious fumes.

I cycle the 11.5 miles to work most days (23 mile round trip) by the river and the canel and it really is great. I love not being stuck in traffic and only takes 15 mins more than driving although understand I am very lucky.

I think more money should be spent on dedicated (not shared with pedestrians) cycle networks.

As a cyclist who also has a car which I use when it is raining alot or need to carry bulky items I do not agree with the statement above.

The thing about Car tax is that if I don't drive the car for the week because I am trying to be environmentally friendly I am still paying the tax!

I would move the tax onto the fuel prices to be honest.

I am fed up with the amount of people in this country moaning about fuel prices though when all they do is drive 5 mins down the road to drop off their kids. Walk! :mad:

dots_thots

It's true that when prices go up the government get's more tax because it adds it as a percentage and it could choose to fix the tax at a set amount.

However, I think everyone needs to see the following chart:



When measured against real things, oil hasn't really moved much for 60 years! It's actually our currencies being debased. Notice that it comes after 1971 and the end of the Bretton Woods agreement.

In fact blaming inflation on oil prices is like saying wet streets cause rain.

Let's get angry about monetary debasement because rising petrol prices are an effect, not the cause.

Trunk_z

fiendishlyclever wrote: »

I don't think I'd make a popular chancellor...

Personally I'd like to bang up car tax to discourage 2nd car ownership as people who do short commutes (like the lazy parents who clog up my streets dropping their kids off at school when they live a 10 minute walk away) aren't affected by high fuel prices as much as high mileage people like myself. Their journeys aren't essential and their cars never warm up so spew out a range of noxious fumes.

Oh and I'd ban cars over a certain age on environmental grounds as well.

I grew up as a child without a car and we coped well, but I guess rail and bus fares were a lot cheaper then as well (rail prices have priced people out of long journeys). We did use our legs though - an asset many people forget we have!

You would ban cars over a certain age? Perhaps people would get more fuel efficient cars - but what about the impact of manufacturing a new car and disposing of the old one? I doubt the extra gain in efficiency would give any environmental benefit (please feel free to provide me with some evidence to prove me wrong!).
For example - I have a car from 1998 which if I'm careful, I can squeeze out almost 35MPG out of. My friend has a car only a couple of years old, which I would estimate is about the same weight and engine size - they get about 46MPG.

Edit: Just remembered my first car - it was a 1984 (older than me!) and I got 30MPG out of that!

split_second

problem is at the moment we have a 24 hour society, but not a 24 hour public transport system.

government wants taxes from population and businesses, businesses want their staff to work the hours that suit the business, but the public transport system wont support that.

we need lower fuel taxes to get this country out the mess it is in

ifihadapenny

I know that petrol prices are extreme and bad etc etc but this pole is the dumbest around!

Im in the middle of setting up more, but wait i already have the answers so here they are....

Children want 2 days of school instead of 5.
Workers want 90 day holidays.
Drinkers want 50p pints
Fishermen want more fish


I cant believe i was so annoyed about this i wrote a reply....

This is why we our MPs should NEVER accept our polls.