'How much should petrol cost?' Poll discussion

jaibaby

Harry_Flashman wrote: »

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).

Ummm, I'll have you know I am well-washed thank you

If everyone in the UK drove, could you imagine the traffic???
So don't go labelling people who "have" to travel by bus. I wish for you that, one day, your car does not break down and you have to travel with us "mere mortals" :eek::D

angry

skintpensioner wrote: »

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.

The data I have shows oil in June 2008 at $133. The exchange rate was around 1.99, meaning a barrel was about £66.

In February 2011, I have oil at $103. But the exchange rate now is 1.61, making a barrel about £64.

And, as you mention, in mid 2008, duty on petrol was 54.19p/l. Now it is 58.95p/l. And VAT has gone up too.

That probably accounts for most of the increase.

janice67_2

arch50 wrote: »

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:

AND ME:mad:

Jo_F

It's all very well saying that if they cut the tax on fuel, then everyone else will be expected to pick up the bill, but at the moment, the more the fuel costs, the more it is costing everyone.

My partner is a truck driver, and the rise in the cost of fuel is having to be put on the companies 'work' prices, this is happening every where, so as fuel costs go up, so does the cost of your weekly shopping and anything else that needs to be transported.

angry

allan2006 wrote: »

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

16% more (if it happened today).
( http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20101009161042AAsJVf4 )

sharrison01

We all know that fuel tax is far too high but it will remain high while the government can use carbon emissions as an excuse keep them that way and as a bonus get the green vote. If we deconstructed taxation into a world where a tax pays for the expense that it incurs, much like road tax used to be before it was increased and rebranded "road fund license," then tax on fuel could be reduced and other taxes introduced. For example, fast food, ready meals and other unhealthy foods could be taxed to pay for the cost they are crippling our health service with (much like alcohol/tobacco). For carbon emissions, red meat should incur a high tax - humans worldwide account for around 8-10% of total carbon emissions with almost 25% coming from cattle and 50% from the sea. Obviously emissions from the sea cannot be reduced but our appetite for red meat and dairy products can be taxed, especially when developing countries like China and India will be increasing their rearing of cattle as their diets move towards more expensive products like red meat. At no point has any politician even considered this as a real means of tackling carbon emissions but who would vote for higher prices of a product that we all love just to help the environment?

gadgetmind

I voted for £2k as that was the biggest number there. Even though we have two cars, we use them for only a few k miles a year, mainly because I use a bicycle for 99% of my trips.

Most car trips could be done in <20 mins by bicycle, and a large percentage in <20 mins even on foot, yet many people still automatically pick up the car keys as they leave the house. Madness.

geoffnaylor

As a general principal, the exchequer should take no more than 50% in tax on goods, otherwise it causes great distortion to the economy.

sharrison01

I am also in disagreement with people that we should be expected to change our driving habits because of the fuel price. There is not a great problem caused by the choice of using a car compared with walking/cycling/public transport etc. Cars are there for our convenience and in one person using theirs, there is very little impact on anyone but them. If we are to believe that this choice is not ours to make and we should adhere to guidelines set by the government then surely the same should apply to unhealthy foods which people are currently choosing to eat without consequence...

krazykizza

I have seen a lot on this forum about raising the cost of petrol. I quite frankly am disgusted at those people. I am an 19 year old Apprentice, I have to drive 80 miles a day to Peterborough so that I can gain qualifications and experience and do good for the country. I already spend a great chunk of my wages on fuel to get to work, and with their being no viable train or bus link to Peterborough from my town that only leaves driving as an option.

I find it hard to understand that people on this forum do not take into account peoples financial situation, particularly 31March comment outraged me the most. Why should anyone feel they have to move because of the cost of transport? I still live with my family, and going by his theory of what we should all do I'd have to get a small apartment which at my young age I don't want to do yet. Population sizes of cities would rise dramatically, London is already overcrowded!! Many other cities are booming in size and public services like the NHS and the education system particularly wouldn't be able to cope with the kind of agenda 31March is suggesting.

If petrol doesn't come down soon, people will start having to look for alternatives to their employment which in the long run will mean less going into the Governments coffers and skilled trades becoming extinct.

My advice to a lot of people on this thread is think before you post, as if you put into practice what you suggest it could do a lot of harm to the economy and peoples living standards.