[Closed] fuel prices.....

UK fuel sales down 20% in five years or something.
whether we're getting screwed or not, this can only be a good thing shirley?

its the tax. Its OUR government ripping us off.

18p sounds so low as to be subsidised.

brakes - Member

UK fuel consumption down 20% in five years or something.
whether we're getting screwed or not, this can only be a good thing shirley?

or it just means lot of people have switched to diesel, which is great for causing lung cancer.

I suspect that the reason it's that cheap in Qatar is that the state makes the stuff, and most of its revenue comes from selling it to us at high prices. It wouldn't make any sense for them to charge their own citizens (or subjects) the same price.

It's not that different to coffee shop employees being able to drink free coffee. Just on a bigger scale!

its the tax. Its OUR government ripping us off.

Yeah, that government. What has the government ever done for us?!

Well, APART from the roads, security, transport, infrastructure, health and education...

Petrol is still something like 70p/l even without tax, IIRC.

And fuel sales are down 9% overall in 5 years, including diesel.

ok, so petrol down 24%, diesel up 13%

I suspect that the reason it's that cheap in Qatar is that the state makes the stuff, and most of its revenue comes from selling it to us at high prices. It wouldn't make any sense for them to charge their own citizens (or subjects) the same price.

you're probably right, but make you think of all the taxes on fuel and what Mr Osborne is doing with it....
good job Qatar has no hills or i'd be over there...

Saudi/emirates fuel is subsidised, in so much that it does not track the usual market, normally using companies such as PLATTS and ARGUS. However, fuel quality over there is also appalling, very very low quality stuff. Yes we are one of the highest (not highest) taxed countries as far as fuel goes, but its still not making the majors loadsa wonga as you'd expect. downstream refining is V.expensive - it's upstream where the money is made..

you're probably right, but make you think of all the taxes on fuel and what Mr Osborne is doing with it....
good job Qatar has no hills or i'd be over there...

Sure about that? I think it'd be a good idea, might make you appreciate what you've got 🙂

Petrol 70ppl without tax - i don't think so

1.43 - vat = £1.1916
1.192 - duty (£0.5795/l) = £0.612 per litre

the current market wholesale rate for PUG (i.e. standard 95 without additives etc) is £0.49053 (as of COP yesterday)

Buying the "Super grades" does scew the margins as the Tesco stuff is a con and a half, it's almost expected of the Shell stuff as it's a different base plus some decent additives.

Current PUG at the pumps in comparison is £1.369 = £1.14/l less vat, which = £0.561/l

factor in some delivery charges (between 0.5pence per litre and 1 ppl) that leaves a 5ppl profit. Lets assume you are getting a "major fuel" with a decent add pack in, that will add approx 1ppl, so you are now down to 4ppl margin - this is split between the franchisee and the OEM. The franchisee then has costs out of this.

The prices are going down my way, lost 3p pl in 3 weeks.

£7.25 per gallon (Phah) in Madeira ATM.

£1.43/litre! I remember those days, it were all fields round 'ere and you could go t'pictures and have a fish supper and still have change out of a fiver.

€1.75/litre for standard unleaded here (Netherlands)

tbh what else is going to stop folks driving un necessarily ?

that is expensive £1.48 a todays forex..

The prices are going down my way, lost 3p pl in 3 weeks

but round here the prices for 95ron went up from 1.31 to 1.43 in the month of Feb only to settle back to 1.39 now!!! nice way of putting up the prices before the budget then lowering them only slightly after to make people feel happier!! FU$%*£G theives!!

Is there much difference between Petrol and Diesel in the Netherlands?

Cos I was there last weekend and filled our van with diesel for E1.41 pl. Cheapest we saw was E1.39 pl

nice way of putting up the prices before the budget then lowering them only slightly after to make people feel happier!! FU$%*£G theives!!

Hang on - the oil companies and the markets are what cause the day to day changes. They don't give a crap about the budget.

The tax isn't responsible for those price variations.

Is there much difference between Petrol and Diesel in the Netherlands?

Diesel is much cheaper than petrol, I think it's one of the biggest price differentials in Europe.

Fuel is actually very cheap. We're just used to being spoilt.

trail_rat - Member

tbh what else is going to stop folks driving un necessarily?

Give them an alternative.
High fuel prices increase the cost of everything and stifle the growth of an economy.

High fuel prices increase the cost of everything and stifle the growth of an economy.

Actually the opposite is true.

It makes up a very small fraction of the cost of goods so has a negligible effect, and high fuel prices keep people off the roads, so people who drive for a living or deliver goods save time (which costs more than fuel) because theres far less traffic jams and gridlock.

Low fuel costs would only be good if you had loads more roads & parking or loads less people.

Fuel is actually very cheap. We're just used to being spoilt.

True, but I do love driving - spoilt bastard that I am 😈

^^ wrong ^^

No, honestly, I do love it! 😉

Fuel is actually very cheap. We're just used to being spoilt.

How do you work that out then?

HoratioHufnagel - Member

Actually the opposite is true.

It makes up a very small fraction of the cost of goods so has a negligible effect, and high fuel prices keep people off the roads, so people who drive for a living or deliver goods save time (which costs more than fuel) because theres far less traffic jams and gridlock.

High fuel prices will keep some people off the roads, but a lot of people drive because they need to, to work for example.

Considering we have high fuel prices I'm surprised, using your logic, that we have so many people on the roads and goods are so expensive.

An accellerating artic will use one gallon of fuel a minute.
I think you may have over-estimated the value of time. 😉

It makes up a very small fraction of the cost of goods so has a negligible effect

Got a breakdown of that?

Not you feefoo, that horatio fella I was commenting on.

If he, or anyone else for that matter would like to take their " fuels cheep, it stops people driving" nonsense, then please direct it to my Parents and MrsBouys Parents who live in rural locations and have to go shopping etc.

You seem to have a very blinkered view of people's right to freedom and access ability to amenities.

T'is all I'm saying on this thread where i suspect it will turn to a boiling mass of puffed out cheeks and " I'm right " attitudes.

I'm waiting for one of [i]those types[/i] who feel sorry for all the people who can't get jobs (because there are no jobs) to suggest to someone who drives to work that they should get a job they can walk or cycle to. 🙂

Given that there are millions of people making needless journeys, not car sharing, driving gas guzzlers, etc. I'd say it was still plenty cheap enough.

nickjb - Member

Given that there are millions of people making needless journeys, not car sharing, driving gas guzzlers, etc. I'd say it was still plenty cheap enough.

That's your opinion, which you can't back up with fact. 🙂

That's your opinion, which you can't back up with fact.

Given that there are millions of people making needless journeys, not car sharing, driving gas guzzlers, etc. I'd say it was still plenty cheap enough.

Trouble is people wealthy enough not to care - or perhpa too stupid to care - carry on driving as they always have. But there are people of more modest means who have a real problem affording fuel. Now we do have higher car ownership than ever so does everyone who owns a car really need it or is it just seen as pretty much an essential thing to own? It is too easy to get into the car to pop down to the shops 3/4 mile away to get a pint of milk or whatever. Annoyingly my wife who passed her driving test a couple of years ago now assures me she just has to use the car for trips that before she walked as had no choice. She does often walk though so not too miffed at her....

All I have to say is 22mpg - weeeeeeee!!!!!

Fuel is actually very cheap. We're just used to being spoilt.

How do you work that out then?

What I do is walk around Tesco and take note of the price of water / coke / beer / multi purpose cleaner / fabric conditioner / etc.

Petrol and Diesel are cheaper than most things in there despite being more costly to produce, transport, and deliver.

What I do is walk around Tesco and take note of the price of water / coke / beer / multi purpose cleaner / fabric conditioner / etc.

Petrol and Diesel are cheaper than most things in there despite being more costly to produce, transport, and deliver.

Oh OK your opinion then.

but it's only an 'opinion' that it's expensive.

£1.40ish buys me a litre of fuel, and that will move even my not-particularly-frugal car at least 8 miles.

if i ride 8 miles, i'll want a pasty, a cup of tea, and a couple of biscuits.

my car's cheaper to run than i am.

It's expensive (to the consumer) because it could be much cheaper.
I've made small bits of metal that cost thousands, but were considered cheap because that was as cheap as you could manufacturer them.

Every month people spend hundreds of pounds on just the tax on petrol, which could be used to stimulate the economy by being spent, as opposed to just being squandered by those **** wits in government.

The government needs tax thought, it's got to come from somewhere.

Opec keeps prices artificially high so it's not just tax.

BTW, I don't use much petrol so I sort of like high tax on fuel as the government benefits with little cost to me.

Oh OK your opinion then.

Coke in the petrol station was 2 x 500ml for £2, and petrol was 1 litre for £1.40ish. So petrol is cheaper litre v's litre from the same shop

Petrol did take significantly more effort to make than coke, so there is a comparison. I don't however drink 150litres of coke a week, so I can live with the cost of Coke.

Petrol is getting harder and harder to extract so the cost will keep rising as a base price, but the tax is getting stupid. As others have said driving is a just something we have to do, not an option so we're stuck with it. Demand is high so prices remain high - both in tax as they know we have no choice, and as a base price supply/demand will always be king - they charge what we will pay, and we keep paying.

Qatar get it cheap as it's at source and is subsidised by the goverment, same as manyu countries in the same region.

Driving is still just about the cheapest way around for me though despite 1kmiles a week, if I did that on a train the cost would be much much more and I'd still need cabs each end.

mudshark - Member

it's not just tax

Just the majority.

molgrips - Member

The government needs tax though, it's got to come from somewhere.

Absolutely, but I believe it needs less. There is so much money wasted across the board. Just look at the people responsible for retrieving the revenue; HMRC. What is it? 49p in every £ collected gone in the collection of it.
That seems a bit shit to me. 🙂

Fuel is far too cheap, hundreds or maybe thousands of cars go past my house everyday and only a tens of bicycles.

I'll vote for £6/l. Smaller cars driven slower can't be a bad thing.

High fuel prices increase the cost of everything and stifle the growth of an economy.
Actually the opposite is true.

I think high fuel prices, which reduce people's disposable income, and therefore spend less in other areas of the economy, have more of a negative affect than a truck, theoretically getting to its destination 5 mins earlier because of less traffic on the road.