It's the taxing of insurance that IS the con. Watch that go up in the budget tomorrow.
MOT tax next. The price of false number plates will escalate almost out of sight.
Paul G
I feel we are being conned in the UK, last year in Tenerife I noted the cost of petrol at €0.90 and today here I am in fuertaventura where due to the
drop in oil price its down to €0.71. Even with our crap exchange rate ATM that's still only 55p/llitre....
What a con!!!
Taxes
You probably can't compare the roads in Fuertaventura to the road network here in the UK so you'd expect to pay more in taxes. Just be
thankful it's not as bad as in some other parts of the world such as Singapore where virtually nobody can afford to have a car.
You know I chuckled a bit when I saw this thread because there was another thread recently complaining about road tax and a suggestion made on there
was just to put all the tax on fuel so you pay as you drive rather than having non-mileage related tax. It just goes to show how difficult it is to be
in government because people rarely agree on what is best. More tax, more public spending or less tax and less public spending. Tax everyone equally
or tax the better off and encourage them to leave the UK. Tax fuel to encourage more economical cars & driving and help the environment or have
things like road tax based on CO2 emissions. The list goes on...
It might seem a strange concept, but most people wouldn't be better off is petrol was cheaper as all pries and wages are driven by each other. You'd only benefit if you use significantly more than average, falling fuel prices actually makes life more expensive for people who use less than average.
Theres no con. The price is displayed, and thats what you pay.
Out of £1 a litre, around 30p is the actual fuel price, then fuel duty is added, then vat added on the price including fuel duty (the tax is taxed) we
pay more than many places, but its not a con as such. We pay the displayed price
I thought this was going to be more about the reason rise that i have noticed. Fuel sat at around 99p for a while and now seems to be creeping back up. Dollar per barrel is unchanged or still dropped so i don't understand why fuel costs have gone up a smidge.
Two effects, dollar vs pound exchange rate and the price of a barrel of oil. £ has fallen against the $ recently and the $ price of a barrel has gone up a bit.
The price creeping back up is to do with the cost of storage and shipping. Storing oil costs money now the surplus stocks have been reduced the
resale price recovers. The number of ship loads being shipped from the middle east has been reduced to match demand but the cost of shipping will not
have changed and the tankers that are not working or are put on "slow steaming" (ie operating at half speed to delay arrival) still have
to be paid for.
Real soon now expect the taxes on diesel cars to steadily increase for environmental reasons.
^^^^
Have to agree here, whilst diesel cars may offer better economy they are not more environmentally friendly about it. Personally I had (can't at
the moment due to epilepsy) driven diesels for quite a long time and like them for road driving. The MPG is good and servicing them myself
doesn't break the bank either. I have found that the VAG cars I've run really benefit from a new diesel fuel filter annually as well -
clears the system out and improves throttle response as well. £6 for a genuine VAG fuel filter and 10 mins to change it is easy work in my book.
Back on the road tax subject it is difficult and you will not make all people happy with a single system. For me I say put it on the fuel so people
pay per mile not a set fee per year. Some won't like that, but you have to pay somewhere!
quote:
Originally posted by blakep82
Theres no con. The price is displayed, and thats what you pay.
Out of £1 a litre, around 30p is the actual fuel price, then fuel duty is added, then vat added on the price including fuel duty (the tax is taxed) we pay more than many places, but its not a con as such. We pay the displayed price
I work in a subsidiary of the crude oil industry.
Britain has the highest tax on petrol on any country in Europe. If we assume (as per now) that it is a nice round £1/l, then around 60p of this is
duty + tax. The petrol itself (inclusive of exploration and refining) makes up just 30 or so %. Transportation maybe 5p/l, and the forecast typically
makes only 1-2p/l.
This is why despite the oil USD/b coming down to below $30/b from the $80/b levels, petrol prices only came down so far.
Something I learnt only a couple of years ago is that the tax/duty added to fuel isn't a percentage, but a fixed amount close to 60p, so reduced crude oil prices doesn't have a dramatic effect on the price of UK fuel
It's not so much petrol thats a con.
It's the taxing of insurance that IS the con. Watch that go up in the budget tomorrow.
MOT tax next. The price of false number plates will escalate almost out of sight.
Paul G