gas prices

[CHRIS POTTER]

Turk, you could drink gasoline....once! Our price in Hickory, NC this morning is 1.80 for regular, 1.95 for 93. Higher in Charlotte area, don't know why.

[wilf leek]

Originally posted by G.R.


Wilf and the UK boys must think we Yanks are a bunch of whiners---they pay close to $5 a gal for their gas, and have done so for years

Correctamundo, except that these days it is more nearly $7 a gallon. Correct for the fact that an english gallon is about 15% bigger than a US one, and you are talking about circa $6 a pop. Of which 85% is tax. And we have a 16c a gallon tax rise due in September, plus oil prices are going up anyway.

I sometimes cry when I fill up the Cobra every 200 miles.

[CHRIS POTTER]

Wilf, I knew you would check in! We are a bunch of whiners, but you have reason to cry at those prices!I don't see any revolts due to gas prices, guess we just have to accept them, and go on.

[Richard Hudgins]

Folks,

One thing I find interesting. Here in CA one does not hear any of the politicos griping about fuel prices.

There is a fixed .18 cent state tax on each gallon of fuel. But, there is another money maker for the state. The sales tax per gallon.

At 1.25 per gallon the sales tax = 9.6 cents.

At 2.25 per gallon the sales tax = 17.5 cents.

Double the revenue.

Considering that something in the area of 4.2 billion gallons are consumed per quarter in CA, this is some serious money going into the coffers that the folks in Sacramento just love seeing.

From a political standpoint it is free money. They did not have vote in any increases that may endanger their re-election.

But, the boys in Merry olde have it really bad at 85% tax per Imp. gallon. I guess we should not gripe.

Wait a minute, doesnt the above seem awful close to "Taxation without representation"?

[wilf leek]

Hmmm - add to our fuel taxation the fact that in 2002, 1MILLION speeding tickets were handed out by speed cameras (more in 2003/4), plus all car insurance policies carry a 5% Gov't tax, plus around £150 pa "road tax" per car, 27.50% sales tax on all new car sales PLUS 17.5% VAT on everything else we buy for the cars, and the "taxation without representation" issue starts to take on a whole new meaning.

And we continually get told how "evil" we are to dare to use our cars, and how we cannot expect these tax revenues to be spent on actually improving the road system!

Sheesh.

[Excaliber]

Costco is the cheapest place in the Islands right now, $2.07 for 92 octane (last time I checked)! LONG lines though.

Since I got the ERA (8 mpg) I visit Costco a LOT lately.

[hog]

$2.35 here in Northern Maine for super. $2.15 for regular.
hog

[REDSC400]

$1.99.9 in most places here in Connecticut.
$1.98.9 is about the lowest for Regular and it can go as high as $2.08 in some places.

[flipper35]

Filled up Wednesday and it was $2.35.9 for regular. The Cobra is going to Costco this weekend, I hope it isn't over $2.50 there yet for premium.

[HIQ]

$1.85 to $1.89 here in Denver for regular.

[Goober]

Wilf, I agree with you. People here would hit the roof if our taxation was as high as yours. I lived in the UK for almost 20 years and paid the going petrol price. Since I work for an oil company, it doesn't bother me that the price per gallon in the U.S. is exceeding the $2.00 mark. I know this is going to p$ss some of the other members off but let's look at it from a different angle.
Offshore in the Gulf of Mexico, a drillship cost around $350,000.00 per day to drill a well. Doesn't mean there will be oil or gas at the end. Then we have to get it to the beach for processing. These wells are in 7,000' of water and are 200 miles from land. How would you do it?
Put different daily purchased liquids into the equation. How much does a gallon of distilled water cost? Gallon of milk? Gallon of visene eye drops? Gallon of Coca Cola? Gallon of Starbucks? I think you see where I'm going.
Sadly, this is the price we have to pay for certain things in life. I wish we could go back to .35 cent gas.
Oil is the most valuable asset the U.S. has placed on their list. Do you really think we would be in Iraq if they didn't have oil? Do you think we would have joined OPEC if we could wholly support ourselves?
Finally, in a world where car manufactures are being forced to improve mileage, cut emissions, etc, what do we drive that puts us in this forum?

Just a guy that is tired about people complaining about the price of gasoline when most don't know what it actually cost to get it to the pump.

[mzhun]

I don't think any one here has any problem with an oil company making a profit for supplying a valuable product. We, I, have a problem with the run away taxation on that product and the environmental wackos that keep us from producing that valuable comodity here in the states. Not to mention the 97 different mixtures mandated by the fed that drives up the price considerably. And if you don't think that we are headed down the same road as that poor chap in the UK, you have another thing coming.

[Bob In Ct]

I hope it goes to $4.00 a gallon. Maybe I will then be able to get on some open road, something I have not seen here in Connecticut in 20 years.

Bob

[Goober]

MZHUN,
You do have a valid point. I too support drilling and production in the good ole USA. Sadly, our system is made up of the very same wackos you speak about. Look at our Alaska reserves and also a few areas like California, Florida and other areas that have been defined and not explored. Hell we have sounding logs from the 60's showing premium reserves here in our back yards! Everytime we want to drill offshore/onshore in "sensitive areas", these wackos shut us down. In the early 80's we had around 4000 rigs running in the states. The number is now 1300 and this is boom time.
Bob in CT, I too look for the open road when everybody has to park their car, especially on the weekends.
Didn't mean to start a pi$$ing match with fellow members
The feds do make things tight, but we will never be taxed like certain EEC countries in our lifetime. Our systems are not the same.

[Wahoo]

Prices in our formally cheap gasoline state of Georgia are 2.09 and above for premium. I saw a recent pie graph of the cost of gasoline and 40% + goes to taxes (of every gallon). Only 20% is profit. Go figure- costs more in taxes than profit welcome to government regulation. Our smog season has started and damn, its pretty hazy here in Atl. As a result, we are paying for an additional tax on our gas for a boutique 'mix' for our environmental problems. c'est la vie.

[Ibr8k4vetts]

I seen $3.17 today 91oct. and yes it's the highest in the US said the local news
Mike

[Turk]

Mike,
Were you on US1?
I paid $3.30 last year close to Hurst Castle.

TURK

[Turk]

HOT off the press!!

I spoke too soon.

Just saw it on Fox News 10:02 PM PST.

Highest prices in the nation! Full service.....
$4.07a gallon???


Gotta love this place.

Fill her up. Check the oil please...

That'll be $163.00 Thank you very much...

[Ibr8k4vetts]

I stand corrected.
Mike

[Robert Evans]

Did I hear this correctly?....Chevron claimed record profits for the first quarter of this year?