Midlands today fuel price news.

[Steve L]

Last night on BBC Midlands today, it was broadcast that fuel in the midlands has hit £1-20 per litre. Also they went on to say that we are likely to see prices closer to £1-40 around April.

My guess is just in time for easter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One independant haulier said that every penny on fuel landed him with another £300 a week to find in fuel cost's and that would be at discounted bulk forward buying prices through commercial fuel cards. He get's two or three increases every year like that and can not pas that onto customers each time as they are struggling as it is.

The reporter was asked if he expected any action from fuel protests.

His reply was quite disconcerting.

He said, "the public just don't care about the increases and carry on regardless buying fuel".

He is arguably right I guess, but it just goes to show how self centered Britain is.

The French would blockade auto routes and ferry ports over 1 cent increases on fuel, but here we just roll over and let Darling tickle our wallets for another cut of taxation.

70p of every pound we spend on fuel goes direct to the customs & excise and inland revenue. There's no way the government will give that healthy taxation profit away without us the public making it darned right embarrasing for them by doing a bit of French style protesting that get's splashed all over the news media.

Just think for a minit about the fuel retailer, he only get's 1.5p per litre to run his garage.

So what do you the caravanning public say to this or are you just going to put up and shut up as the tv reporter said we historically do?

Steve L.

 

[BecknRob]

Afternoon Steve,

I agree with both sides of the coin, but i am sailing closer to the reporter and just keep our mouths shut and get on with it. There is not much we can do about it as you say with that amount of taxation within the price of fuel there is no way that Dumb and Dumber are are going to lower the price of fuel duty.

It is annoying becase when we were planning our 2 weeks we have stayed safe and gone to a place where we know what it is like and places to go etc, rather than be brave and go somewhere were we don't know places meaning that we would use our car more which = using more fuel...

This country has put up with it for so long i think we will always put up with it, as they have us by our dangleys as we need fuel to drive our cars and get around and the trains and buses are a load of pants...

The trouble is if we blockaded the petrols stations, refinerys that would result in public panic buying, therefore a petrol shortage and Dumb and Dumber knows that we would give in eventually...

I could go on and on on this subject for ages, but unfortunately i have got work to do so i shall stop there..

Thanks

Rob.

 

[Dustydog]

Steve

As long as I've had a car fuel prices have always risen, the respective governments taking more and more.

The general election is not far away so we can vote with our feet.

BUT do you honestly believe whoever gets in will reduce fuel costs? NO I doubt it.

Cheers

Dustydog

 

[Lutz]

I can't understand this wailing to the government every time the petrol prices go up. They haven't increased the tax. It's the oil companies that have increased their prices. Asking for the government to step in and compensate this increase by reducing taxes would amount to subsidising the oil companies so that they can continue to make a healthy profit. The best the customer can do in a situation like this is to compare prices and shop around, if necessary driving that extra mile or two to a cheaper petrol station.

 

[NigelHutson]

No the Government haven't directly increased the tax (yet), but Brown and his Darling cream it off as a percentage, so they love it when the fuel companies increase their price. They're all greedy so and so's, with the useless government being the greediest!

 

[Guest]

It all seems abit curious when you read Shell today, and BP yesterday are closing refineries because there is a glut of fuel in the world.

However, I do agree our rapacious Chancellor has followed his master and decided that the UK will pay whatever it takes to keep driving so where else in the world do people put up with paying tax on a tax?

 

[Dustydog]

When VAT was temporarily reduced to 15% an extra 2p a litre was stealthily added by HMG.

When VAT went back to 17.5% the extra 2p a litre was not returned to the consumer

Cheers

Dustydog

 

[Steve L]

I agree, this country has got too many who will just give up and whine in the background. But bleeting over a pint in the pub(if you can afford one)doesn't get results.

This time Lutz, the word is that there is an increase in taxation on the way. 20%vat has been muted.

What I find interesting about global warming for instance in relation to cars is the following.

We in Europe have low emmission cars but we pay top dollar for fuel. 120.9p here, 95p in Spain, but in the USA where they have gas guzzlers fuel is around 45p per Litre.

What is realy needed is for a proactive group to shake the balls a bit at westminster.

The transport industry needs to arrange a truck protest, the caravan clubs likewise, followed by various car clubs. Also while we're at it what about getting the Hamster, Captain slow and the ***** from yorkshire in on the act.

So who's going to start the ball rolling.

Steve L.

 

[JohnnyV]

Crikey - thought I was being ripped off in our town (Daventry) at 115.9p a litre for Diesel (no supermarket competition) - have just been to Leyland in Lanc's today filled up at 109.5p !

We should start acting like the French and say NON !

 

[SteveW77]

Who's going to start the ball rolling?

Answer. No one, The average man in the street has no interest in anything or anybody than their self. We whinge and moan, but as for actually doing something, no bl**dy chance.

Steve W

 

[Steve L]

Well, I've kicked off by contacting Top Gear to see if there's any support there.

Steve L.

 

[Guest]

"I can't understand this wailing to the government every time the petrol prices go up"

That's because you have a VERY strange way of thinking Lutz

For a UK road fuel purchaser the main cost of a litre of fuel is 'fuel duty' (TAX) and then VAT (TAX) that is imposed on the fuels costs and the duty.

If fuel prices go up duty goes up and the TAX man scores a double bubble bonus as he gets even more money for the Governement to fritter away and waste.

If you can's see why people are unghappy Lutz. Try thinking a little harder

With over 70pence of a

 

[machighlander]

not interested in what people pay in Germany or Timbuktu

euro, dont think lutz mentioned that in his post, try specsavers.

 

[Lutz]

I don't see what's different in Germany or Timbuktu, for that matter. Everywhere in the world where there is some form of VAT the government's tax revenue increases as the base price increases. Ergo, if you want to reduce the price of petrol to the consumer, you have to reduce the price of crude oil.

It seems strange that everybody blames the government when petrol prices go up even when there has been no change in Fuel Tax ot the VAT rate, but when anything else gets more expensive, it's the producer to blame, even though the absolute value of the VAT on that product has gone up just as much at the same time, too.

By the nature of your argument, Euro, one can only assume that you have a vested interest in the oil industry - the motto being: "Let them charge whatever they like so long as the government makes sure that nothing gets through to the consumer".

 

[Guest]

Jock, this forum has had a regular dose of what is paid in Germany or how tax's et al work

What I pay for fuel at home in France or how much we pay in French tax's is of little use in the day to day life of most people on the forum

 

[Surfer]

the actual price of fuel is probably under 30p a litre but with taxes and duty thsi pushes up the price dramaticaly whenever there is an increase in the base price.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hi.

I understand the fuel price at the UK pump is made up of four basic elements;

Fuel duty - which is a fixed sum per litre regardless of purchase or selling price

Raw cost of Fuel - what it costs the filling station to buy per litre

Profit - what the filling station makes from each litre

VAT - which is levied on the whole sum.

2009 Fuel Tax Figures

2009 fuel duty (as of 1 September 2009) in the United Kingdom is:

56.19 pence per litre for main road fuels, unleaded petrol and diesel

65.91 pence per litre for leaded petrol

36.19 pence per litre for biodiesel and bioethanol

22.16 pence per kg for road fuel natural gas

27.67 pence per kg for road fuel liquefied petroleum gas ('LPG')

From the above it can bee seen that Fuel duty represents about 50% of the current pump price. But if the pump price changes the duty does not, so the percentage is variable.

For more details I suggest you look at;

http://www.petrolprices.com/fuel-tax.html
Consequently Ian's interpretation of the variation in the pump price compared to the raw material is given the wrong bias.

If the raw material costs go up by 2p the price at the pump will go up by about 2.2p due to Vat and any changes in the percentage rate of profit taken by the company. The Fuel Duty remains unchanged until the Govt. up it again.

 

[Steve L]

Your not far out there Ian.

That's why I believe it's the tresurey that needs to be lobbied to stop their racketeering of the motorist.

The bloke who owns the garage and the oilrigger get the least of the slice of pie. Mind you though, the oil companies do make a healthy pre-tax profit.

Steve L.

 

[Surfer]

With the cost of fuel rising many people are going to start looking at seasonal sites to save on towing fuel costs. The Hobby caravan and others that are 2.5 metres wide are going to start selling well especially if the current restriction on width is removed. This is good news for hobbys, Roma, TEC and others.

 

[Lutz]

As John L has pointed out, Fuel Duty represents about 50% of the sales price, but it doesn't go up when the price does. Therefore, the extra VAT revenue that the government gets is on only charged on the cost of the petrol as it leaves the refinery, which is the other half of the total. Hence, the government is actually gaining less benefit from a price increase on petrol than they would from a similar percentage price increase on another product.

 

[rayc]

lutz said "Therefore, the extra VAT revenue that the government gets is on only charged on the cost of the petrol as it leaves the refinery"

This is not correct, the VAT is charged on the pump price. The higher the pump price the more VAT they get.

 

[Lutz]

Yes, I know, Ray, but the government is only getting increased revenue from VAT on the price at the refinery. The VAT on the Fuel Duty remains the same as the Fuel Duty doesn't change. The customer, of course, pays the sum of both VAT's, but only half of that is variable.

If petrol at the pump goes up, say 5%, then, as half the price is made up of Fuel Duty and that doesn't change, then they are only getting more VAT income from roughly 2.5% of that increase.

 

[Steve L]

I knew the TV reporter was right.

We bicker over minor technicallities instead of doing something constructive about what we winge about.

Never mind the tittle tattle about VAT what about the actual cost to the motorist?

Would you realy like to see

 

[Lutz]

Exactly, Steve. The big increases before the holiday periods come from the oil companies, not from the government.

 

[Guest]

Tax on Tax is wrong.

Every time UK fuel price goes up, the government scores a bonus.

The UK government is said to recognise the need to control inflation, yet fuel prices are probably the biggest force in driving up inflation.

The UK has one of the highest levels of automotive use and ownership per head in the world with some of the highest fuel tax's. The government benefits economy wise from the simple fact that with more car use they get more tax revenue.

The two stage taxing of duty and VAT on duty is very bad.

Raking in millions more when the price goes up is wrong.

VAT on fuel should be done away with and a fixed rate per litre or gallon of tax should be applied only.