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We Are In The Middle Of A Big Petrol Price Con

By Les Scammell, June 2, 2008 12:35 am

Here in Australia we are in the middle of petrol price fight between the Labor Government and the Liberal Opposition parties. The reality is, it’s all one big con and I for one am sick of hearing the arguments.


Petrol at present is around $1.50 per litre, thats about $6.75 gallon in the old language. The banter has been around reducing tax on petrol – how much – five cents. Now forgive me if I am wrong, but that is about $3 per tank full in savings. Big deal – that will be eaten up with the next rise in oil.

It is a big con – we will save you five cents a litre – at least so says the liberal opposition – why bother – I couldn’t even buy a coffee for that price.

As a comparison, bottled water sells here for around $2 per litre – $9 per gallon. Milk for around $1.50 litre – $6.5 per gallon. Beer – $4 per litre – $18 per gallon and scotch – $40 per litre – $180 per gallon. So in perspective, petrol is not to badly off.

I would love to know what sort of prices that petrol (gas) is being sold in other parts of the world. They say that Aussies have the third cheapest fuel in the world – I find that hard to believe. Leave a comment with your price per litre or price per gallon. If you have any fuesl saving tips – let us all know.

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13 Responses to “We Are In The Middle Of A Big Petrol Price Con”

  1. Andy says:

    There are a few countries (such as Indonesia, Brazil, some of the Mid-East) that have their fuel heavily subsidised by their respective governments. For that fact alone, I would certainly question the widely-quoted “third lowest” point.

    Fuel costs are the most inane political football of our time. Neither party can do anything meaningful about the retail price, and nor do they particularly want to. As you said, five cents per litre is, in reality, a very small difference at the pump, and it is one that would soon be swallowed up by the fluctuations in the normal price cycle.

    As for fuel saving tips, there are many oft-repeated tips that do a bit, such as increasing tyre pressures, removing unnecessary weight from inside the car, and driving more economically. They all do a little bit, but no matter what you do, the simple fact is that the prices are probably going to stay on an upward trend (with temporary lulls) from now on. We just have to either get used to it or drive less.

  2. Tommy says:

    We in the States have only recently began getting stung by this industry. For years you all in other parts of the world have paid heaps more for this crap. I fill up three times per week with my 150 mile round trip daily commute so roughly 1/4 of my salary now goes this way….We’re still relatively better off (I paid 4.15 per gallon yesterday).

    My bigger question to the world is how has your fluctuations been? The price we’re paying now is twice as much as even a couple of years ago….has your bottom line increased as dramatically in as short a time? I’m curious.

    T

  3. les says:

    G’day Tommy. The price rise of the last two years has been almost 100%. Two years ago I could get a liter for 0.80 cents. Now its $1.50. Diesel has gone from the same 80 cents to around $1.80 in some places. We now get weekly price fluctuations of up to 15 cents liter depending on where you are. In the southern states I think there fuel is up around the $1.60 now. At 4.5 liters or so to the gallon – that’s $7.20 gallon – our exchange rates are close to 1:1 now so we cannot even blame that – some one is ripping us off and i think its the hedge funds who buying on the futures markets to make whopping profits.
    thanks for your comments.

  4. Tommy says:

    So it is going on elsewhere too….Sadly, that’s somewhat comforting in some sick, twisted way I suppose….Big Oil is making billions in profits per quarter. Speculation and the like has almost entirely replaced supply and demand (which isn’t that different from one year ago today if you really look at the numbers)….Market speculators and greedy oil f@#$ are making billions at the expense of just about everyone. If a war ever needed waged, it should be done here…Convict em of their price gouging and sentence them to I don’t know…perhaps an Iraqi Tour of Duty!

    T

  5. Barbara says:

    In Toronto, Canada gas is $1.34 per litre, up from mid-week at $1.25. By Monday the price will have dipped back down. Happens every weekend…price gouging.

  6. i make a contest hope you can participate :wink:

  7. Øyvind says:

    We pay about $8.6 in Norway, I wish our government made it easier to buy electric cars. But they are too expensive and there aren’t infrastructure for it.

    Its like our government doesn’t want us to be environmental-friendly because they wont make any money then.

  8. Billy Warhol says:

    No shit Sherlock Einsteen!!

    What was yer First clue??

    ;) )

  9. In Malaysia, the government subsidized the petrol until recently when they lifted the subsidy, petrol price originally at RM1.92 has hiked to RM2.70..Now to all of you it might be nothing but here most Malaysians earn a meagre salary that can hardly cover the expenses such as rental, food, bills, let alone petrol..

    As for me, I am dying as when the oil is expensive, the other stuffs will be expensive too..To add salt to injury, after petrol hike, there is also an increase of the electricity bill, livestock such as chicken that used to cost RM5/kg now is RM7/kg..

    And I am still wondering how am I going to survive here..

  10. aswari says:

    Isn’t this a way to save your petrol budget?

  11. aswari says:

    Isn’t this a way to save your petrol budget?

    Check my website.

  12. I live in California and the price of gas is uhhh… lets just say you don’t wanna pay that much =p. I’ve read many articles and I have learned many things, I guess I’ll share some knowledge =p. Keep your tires properly inflated, try not to brake a lot but coast to a stop, accelerate slowly and steadily not speed racer style,get a fuel efficient car, and the best one I’ve read….walk = ](if anyone else has good ones please let us know!)

  13. In UAE prices of oil are much cheaper. Around $.4/litre. A full tank of 45 liters costs around 75 UAE Durhams = $20.
    The main fact is its oil producing nation and prices almost never changed (only a few cents)

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