Question for Europeans

"John David Galt" > wrote in message
...
> Mark Hewitt wrote:
>> Current price in UK is around US$6.16 / US gallon
>>
>> They are going up however have stopped going up quite recently. The
>> general thought is that they have stablised now. However the chancellor
>> has hinted further tax will be applied to petrol and diesel in the
>> September budget.
>>
>> Of the $6.16 per gallon, approx $4.26 is tax.
>
> Considering the protests a few years ago when a petrol tax increase was
> proposed -- and the French truckers blocking the freeways around the same
> time -- I'm surprised any politician has the guts to propose an increase.

Well you would have thought so. But they've just won the election so they
think they are invincible. Also there are new laws in place to stop the type
of protests we saw last time. Gordon Brown doesn't care about the average
person, he would make an awful prime minister IMHO.

"Brimstone" > wrote in message
...
>
> What leads you to suppose that is it is any higher now than in the past?
> Granted it has gone up with inflation, apart from the Fuel Duty Escalator
> period when it rose slightly faster.

It didn't rise slightly faster, it rose significantly faster. Currently fuel
duty has been frozen for some time, I'm hoping that they are doing that to
allow inflation to catch up with the above inflation rises of the past few
years. Unfortunately I don't think that will happen and I expect another
1-2p to go on in September.

"Brimstone" > wrote in message
...
>
> On what grounds is it no longer appropriate?

Abolishing fuel tax itself isn't practical and I believe most people
recognise that. However it is my personal belief that the current high oil
prices mean that the current duty levels are no longer appropriate.

I think it should be the governments duty to ensure that fuel remains around
the same price (adjusted for inflation) which means that if the world oil
price increases, the duty should decrease in response.

"Dan J.S." > wrote in message
...
>
> bigger left lies. The problem is, as always with the liberals and
> leftists,

You would do better by not attempting to use labels. You make yourself sound
like a crazed lunatic.

"Depresion" wrote

> Ford have 2 cars smaller than the Focus, the Fiesta and Ka in Europe, VW
are the
> same with the Polo and Lupo ...

A comparison might be the Honda Insight (available in US and EU).
In EU there are many different Insight-sized cars and some even smaller
(and with a top speed of about 80mph).

50ccm displacement with 45kph (28mph) is also enjoys a growing public,
because all these cars easily average >50mpg and need no tax etc.

Thomas

"Depresion" > wrote in message
...
>
> Ford have 2 cars smaller than the Focus, the Fiesta and Ka in Europe, VW
> are the same with the Polo and Lupo (soon to be replaced with the fox but
> no relation to the VW fox sold in the US in the '90s) smaller than the
> Golf. Both Toyota and Honda do a single vehicle smaller than the models
> you list (Yaris and Jazz respectively), I guess none of them are sold in
> the USA or at least in no great numbers.

Yes. From that past at looking at the Ford USA website it seems that the
Focus is the smallest car they sell. And it's a 2.0Litre version too, pretty
much top of the range for here. However the price they charge is comparible
to what I paid for my 1.4L Fiesta!

"Brimstone" > wrote in message
...
> Depresion wrote:
>> "Brimstone" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>>
>>> My comment referred to the fact that commuting has been made easier.
>>
>> By deteriorating roads?
>>
>>> On the contrary UK roads are mostly very well maintained.
>>
>> Bar the 3/4 that aren't.
>
> Provide examples including photos. Alternatively stop talking crap.

I don't have direct evidence but I did hear a radio programme which reported
on a government report which concluded that although trunk roads were very
well maintained, local authority roads were often in a very poor state of
repair.

Mark Hewitt wrote:
> "Brimstone" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>> On what grounds is it no longer appropriate?
>
> Abolishing fuel tax itself isn't practical and I believe most people
> recognise that. However it is my personal belief that the current
> high oil prices mean that the current duty levels are no longer
> appropriate.
>
> I think it should be the governments duty to ensure that fuel remains
> around the same price (adjusted for inflation) which means that if
> the world oil price increases, the duty should decrease in response.

The additional tax needed to pay for the additional civil servants to watch
oil prices, calculate the change needed and to implement it would negate any
reduction in the Fuel Duty.

Mark Hewitt wrote:
> "Dan J.S." > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>> bigger left lies. The problem is, as always with the liberals and
>> leftists,
>
> You would do better by not attempting to use labels. You make
> yourself sound like a crazed lunatic.

The one in the Oval Office is more than enough thanks.

Brimstone wrote:
> "Scott en Aztl=E1n" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Here in the US the top story recently has been the large upward
spike
> > in gasoline prices. Some have predicted that gasoline will top
> > $5/gallon by next year, up from $2.50/gallon today. Since you folks
in
> > Europe have had $5/gallon gas for years (thanks to high taxes),
what's
> > happening to gas prices over there in Europe? Are they going to hit
> > $10/gallon soon? Is the price of gas the top story on your local TV
> > news?
> >
>
> One point that seems to escape many Americans is that Europe is a
collection
> of seperate countries. We all therefore speak different languages and
have
> different ways of doing things, including levying taxes. Lumping us
all
> together is like suggesting that Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas,
Barbados,
> Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El
Salvador,
> Greenland (Kalaallit Nunaat), Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras,
Iceland,
> Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint
Lucia,
> Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United
States
> of America is one country.

As the map in your link below shows, Iceland is a European country yet
you list it with the countries of North America.

> Europe consists of 46 countries of which only 25 are members of the
European
> Union. http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworl...europe_map.htm