'How much should petrol cost?' Poll discussion

angry

Thinking out loud...
In many cases, personal transportation = freedom. So taxing this is bad.
Also, a tax on this is an indirect tax on almost everything. This is bad.
I want people to be able to do what they want, without the government interfering. Therefore, I think maybe there should be no special tax on fuel.

On the other hand:
The price of oil (and hence petrol) is only going to go up.
Ignore talk of "speculators pushing the price up"; it is highly misleading, and is only short-term noise if you're looking at a long enough timescale (eg 10 years).

If we lowered the cost of petrol to 50p (my ideological ideal), this would encourage much more infrastructure and businesses that thrive on cheap fuel. Taking policy action now that decreases use of and investment in public transport, would put us in a very unfavourable situation in the future.


"There isn't good public transport where I am". That's unfortunate.
If you accept my suggestion that in a generations's time, petrol will be VERY expensive, then either:
Better public transport will have to emerge in your area, OR
The place you live will no longer be an economically viable place to live.


So... I'm not quite sure how to vote. I might vote to "keep things as they are". I liked the conservative idea (now abandoned, I think) to have a "fuel tax stabiliser", meaning that as the price of petrol rises, the tax falls to compensate.

Bazny

The price should be what the market dictates. A 160% tax is just outrageous and is stifling growth with absolutely no affect on the environment. Man-made climate change is a scam. You only have to follow the money to figure that one out. But even if you believe in that hokum, China is building two coal plants a week and are taking over as the world's biggest economy and fastest growing nation. So what's the point of an insignificant decline in driving here? Enough is enough with the high taxes. They don't work, and it's been proven time and time again.

Harry_Flashman

Just my thoughts;

The amount of tax on petrol is obscene. The motorist is simply being used as a cash cow for the government.

I need a motor. I need it to get to work (or leave the house at stupid o clock for the bus and arrive home much later than in my motor - I don't have a fixed finishing time). I need it for both the voluntary groups I'm a part of (The Big Society and all that).

Public transport is simply not a viable option.

The 'green' argument is simply a red herring. Yet another myth thought up so we can have a few new taxes.

allan2006

green argument i dont get either....if in 10 years everyone is driving electric cars....how many power stations will we need ?!?

superdogsbody

bbqforce10 wrote: »

I say it should be £1.

The railways and many bus companies receive massive public subsidy (i.e. money from me and you as tax payers), and as someone who lives in rural Devon I receive no benefit from this as I have no option but to drive. There are no rail or bus services near me - driving is my only option.

I live in Ipswich in rural Suffolk as people like to call it. The only bus routes that recieve public subsidy are the ones labbled with a '1' on the top of the time for that route. In Ipswich these are the ones which run once an hour/bi hour in the evening from town centres or on certain days of the week in one direction each way.

Our councils are already stripping the public subsidy from these companies as part of their money saving gaff and as a result we have lost all evening services in Ipswich on first eastern counties which have public subsidy on these routes for that time, 2 routes gone from end of Feb 2010 (lovely five day notice on that one posted to a few main bus stops), which leaves only one route to serve Martlesham and none to Woodbridge, Melton, Sax or Framlingham and further cuts still to be announced or actioned.

Having travelled a lot around Devon and Cornwall since 1983, I see the same happening there and in other rural areas. I doubt if the X9 Exeter to Bude will run in the evenings when I come down to see cousins over the summer and therefore will have to plan my visting times with them carefully as their one direction each way a week market bus on wednesday to Holsworthy will also poss. disappear. I already know Bude has lost some local town services via Twitter.

Reminds me of what I have read about the railway cuts back in the 60s. the same now happening to buses in 2011?

arch50

hi all do you drive a car do the people in the greens party drive a car (no they don`t because the car is not green) well thats is rubbish yes they do , ? why is petrol £2.00 per gallon in the usa and £6.00+ in the uk well unfair tax the people in london use the under ground and it`s our car tax that pays for this heavy subsidy !!!
we all know if the gas companys put the gas up by 200% the government would be up on a big box shouting about this ' well where are the MP`s that you put in to the houses of parliment they are sitting on there hands with the finger up at us all !!
the thing is the high price of fuel puts every thing up as most thing we use are transported by road so it is past on to use !!!
and as for the new law coming into being about car insurance well what if you do not have a private drive to store your car well you bet the MP`s will have a privat drive paid for my you !!
are these MP`s living on a different world from us i have to live on my pension so as you will know things can be tight when it comes to money but it`s the poor that will suffer again
same old mindset burn down the barn because of one bad horse

yours a very unhappy pensioner:mad:

bexster1975

:rotfl: Who would have thought such a potentially dull discussion would be so entertaining!

It is interesting to read that people on here believe that "punishing" people who travel to work (or for work) is acceptable. Also, that we can all/should all get jobs close to home (what a fascinating world that would be!). That we can/should use public transport rather than cars and if we don't we should have to be punished!

Finally, I am highly entertained by the implication that the reason fuel is/should be so expensive is because it won't last forever! Yes, Im certain that is why OPEC restrict the number of barrels available when demand falls.

Those on the above high horses should consider, if we did all do some or all of the above, where would your precious tax revenue come from then if not the motorist?

skintpensioner_2

What I can't understand is why the petrol price is so much higher now than it was in 2008 when oil was over $140 a barrel? VAT and duty increases can't account for so much difference.

misti

I went for the maximum amount, & I don't feel that is enough. Tho I place 1 condition on that, that the taxes raised go entirely into transport, improving what we have & making new & improved travel for the future.

My main reason for this, is that oil is limited, there is only so much of it left, & we need to use it wisely. That people are driving around in personal cars, when there are perfectly adequate public transport systems, I think is beyond selfish, beyond ridiculous, & with global warming frankly suicidal.

I don't give a thought about their whinges, if they think the cost of petrol is high now, wait 10, 15, 20 years, I am going to enjoy it. And how we live will have to change. From no personal cars, or ones run from renewables, a car ban in london (yay) that'll get the rest of us around quicker & cut back on pollution to other ridiculous things like wrapping tins in plastic (!!!!!!). Things will change.

You car drivers have already lost, get used to it & get over it x

Harry_Flashman

What I don't get is why are we expected to subsidise buses, etc for the great unwashed to travel on? Fares should reflect the true cost of the travel (plus a reasonable profit for the operator).