Off topic: Fuel Prices Around the World Thread poster: ATIL KAYHAN
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ATIL KAYHAN 
Türkiye
Local time: 15:08
Member (2007)
Turkish to English
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Trudy Peters
United States
Local time: 08:08
German to English
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What a fantastic graphic! Thanks for posting.
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Nicole Schnell
United States
Local time: 05:08
English to German
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In memoriam | The graphic is terrific! | Jan 1, 2013 |
Thanks, Atil!
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Ty Kendall
United Kingdom
Local time: 13:08
Hebrew to English
That's why I have a tear in my eye every time I go to fill up at the petrol station. I feel like I'm being mugged every time.
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ATIL KAYHAN
Türkiye
Local time: 15:08
Member (2007)
Turkish to English
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TOPIC STARTER | You are most welcome. | Jan 2, 2013 |
I believe it is always nice to have a global perspective.
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Liviu-Lee Roth
United States
Local time: 08:08
Romanian to English
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| sort of irrelevant ! | Jan 2, 2013 |
In countries where prices are very high, the social network is waaay better than in the US because the high taxes imposed on gas go for such programs (healthcare, education etc.), therefore I'd rather pay $6.00/gallon and have free medical assitance.
my 2 cents
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Ty Kendall wrote: That's why I have a tear in my eye every time I go to fill up at the petrol station. I feel like I'm being mugged every time.
Same feeling here. Especially because in Spain over 70% of the price is made up of different national and regional taxes. Plain crazy.
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JH Trads
United States
Local time: 08:08
Member (2007)
English to French
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| Thanks Atil, the graphic is great! | Jan 2, 2013 |
Its title, however, is a bit problematic, as this graphic does not allow, in itself, to derive conclusions about gouging. Some countries may have high prices at the pump because of a host of other reasons that may, depending on the case, have nothing to do with gouging: few or no reserves and high transportation costs in the case of Japan, insufficient refinery capacity in Iran (too bad Iran is not shown in the graph) which pushes the price above a normal level for a country blessed with huge re... See more Its title, however, is a bit problematic, as this graphic does not allow, in itself, to derive conclusions about gouging. Some countries may have high prices at the pump because of a host of other reasons that may, depending on the case, have nothing to do with gouging: few or no reserves and high transportation costs in the case of Japan, insufficient refinery capacity in Iran (too bad Iran is not shown in the graph) which pushes the price above a normal level for a country blessed with huge reserves, a heavy tax policy in Europe that keeps prices up regardless of the fluctuations in the prices of crude. This European tax policy is not all bad, it promotes public transportation (for instance the US, without comparable taxation, has much less public transportation), is socially progressive and is good for the environment, not to mention that the heavy gas taxes have a stabilizing effect, which can smooth the cycles, and make planning and investing easier for companies.
Conversely, the example of Venezuela is presented here in a misleading light, because if the price is so low, and the title of the chart is "gouging", then the natural conclusion is to think: Venezuala=no gouging going on=good. But this nominal price of gas is only obtained through massive subsidies, which jeopardize the finances of that country as it is nothing more than harsh austerity in the waiting (it will be necessary to raise more taxes to cover the subsidy-created debt), masquerading as a generous gift. It is a socially regressive policy to boot! Indeed, it favors the rich who can afford cars/more cars, to the detriment of the poor who will bear the brunt (not the Brent) of all the 'externalities' of such policies. Ironic for a rock-ribbed socialist and populist government!
Also, more generally, the notion of gouging is poorly understood when it comes to oil. Oil drillers face dramatic operational risks (as seen recently in the Gulf Coast). The refiners have to operate profitably. Are they really charging more than other industries, say, the companies crushing soybean into edible oil? Then, the gas stations, which may or may not be vertically integrated with the drillers and or refiners, have themselves very thin profit margins, if any, on gas. They earn their moolah selling artery-clogging deep fried doughnuts and heart-stopping energy drinks. ▲ Collapse
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Heinrich Pesch
Finland
Local time: 15:08
Member (2003)
Finnish to German
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| Too cheap everywhere | Jan 2, 2013 |
Taxes should be doubled still, so people would think if it really is necessary to drive a car. Even though European gas price is comparatively high, it is still cheaper to drive a car with two people in it than to use a train or other means.
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| Only exception among the countries with high-priced fuel: Italy | Jan 2, 2013 |
lee roth wrote:
In countries where prices are very high, the social network is waaay better than in the US because the high taxes imposed on gas go for such programs (healthcare, education etc.), therefore I'd rather pay $6.00/gallon and have free medical assitance.
my 2 cents
You pay a lot and get nothing.
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Heinrich Pesch wrote:
Taxes should be doubled still, so people would think if it really is necessary to drive a car. Even though European gas price is comparatively high, it is still cheaper to drive a car with two people in it than to use a train or other means.
Except that fuel prices are reflected in the price of all other commodities that are delivered by road vehicles, including food.
On top of that, new EU regulations on exhalations (Euro 5 and 6) have added greatly to increased fuel consumption, especially with diesel engines (compare: my previous Skoda Octavia 1.9 TDI: 4.0 litres / 100 km; my new Skoda Octavia 1.9 TDI with DPF and about the same horsepower: 6.0 litres / 100 km).
[Upraveno: 2013-01-02 18:59 GMT]
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Ty Kendall
United Kingdom
Local time: 13:08
Hebrew to English
| I was gonna say..... | Jan 2, 2013 |
Christel Zipfel wrote: lee roth wrote:
In countries where prices are very high, the social network is waaay better than in the US because the high taxes imposed on gas go for such programs (healthcare, education etc.), therefore I'd rather pay $6.00/gallon and have free medical assitance.
my 2 cents You pay a lot and get nothing.
The NHS isn't much to write home about and the state of the roads and public transport makes you wonder where the money actually goes.
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