PETROL PRICES

[mattr]

Originally Posted by Col

I may well be wrong...

Diesel used to be cheaper than petrol. This was when there were more petrol cars than diesels.
Petrol is now cheaper, but there are more diesel cars than petrol (I think)

I have no idea whether it's a tax thing or not.

We've gone from 30-35% ish diesels on the road to more like 60% and AFAIK we ran out of spare processing capacity about 2 years ago, all the refineries that can produce diesel in europe, are now doing so. And we aren't allowed to build more.

Then they taxed it more.

[cmgreen]

If you are talking about the higher octane or V-Power type fuels, yes, they are different. The only problem is that well over 90% of the fuel sold in europe is boggo forecourt mix. With (despite the advertising) nothing special in it.[/QUOTE]

Wrong. Its all blended different, shell fuel save derv aint the same as sainsbury/asda etc.

[mattr]

........

[cmgreen]

Originally Posted by mattr

........

...............................

[SlowOne]

Originally Posted by jimmyfish

Yes there would be a price war. So lets say sainsburys (or other retailer), suddenly reduce there price say by 5p, why do others follow suite, not because they want to, its to stay competitive.

Same goes for if we all used one supplier, do you think the other suppliers are going to stand about waiting for people to arrive at their forcourt? No, they will reduce and entice business in that way. So what you say on this is total bollocks.

You are right by fuel may be blended by one company but with different additives for certain retailers, Shell fuel is different to sainsburys, so it dont matter to the blender where we get our fuel from, but it will matter to the retailer.

There cannot be a war without weapons. The weapon they have is a 20p/litre margin. How do you think that there can be a war when all they have to play with is a few pence?

If fuel prices were a real issue we wanted to tackle, we would all go to the supermarket forecourts that are usually cheaper than the ones owned by oil companies. We don't so it, so they don't give a jot if one retailer, especially a supermarket, reduces the price by 5p. We would soon get fed up with queuing and go and pay more elsewhere. There is no incentive to remain competitive, because we the user aren't really interested in low prices, as we demonstrate daily by not all queueing up at the lowest priced forecourt in our area.

They have no need to be competitive because we do not care that much about the price we pay, as demonstrated by the fact that, whatever the price charged, most forecourts remain in business. Your argument has a similarly round shape!!

Fuel duty is 5% of the Government's tax take. Income tax is 30%, National Insurance is 20% and VAT is 15%. If you want to cut your tax bill, buy less and avoid the 15% of your income you pay in VAT, and not the 5% you pay in fuel duty.

When Callaghan's Labour Government lost power to Thatcher in 1979, the basic rate of income tax was about 30%, and the top rate was 83%. The surcharge on unearned income was 15%, so the top rate of tax was 98%. In total the Government took 42% of GDP in tax.

Today, the basic rate is 20%, the top rate is 50% (change to 45% in 2013) and the Government take 39% of GDP in tax. So, 10% to 45% less in income tax rates, but the Government revenue is only 3% down. Where do you think they made up the difference? You could always go back to having high income tax and low fuel duty, if you like...

Whichever way you cut it, Government takes less of our labours in tax than it did 30 years ago, so you have more to spend as you wish. They just get it a different way than they used to. I don't know anything else that has come down in the last 30 years, so remind me again how I am being ripped off?

[racingdwarf]

I'm sure slowone has been on question time

[SlowOne]

One last thing - on average, the tax take from GDP has been lower under a Labour Government than a Tory one since 1948, and company profits have been higher under Labour than Tory. Somehow the political parties and the media lead us all to believe that if we want to be better off we should vote Tory, but the data of the last 70 years tells us otherwise.

In the end, every Government ends up in the mire (Tories in 1964, 1974 and 1991, Labour in 1951, 1979 and 2009) when they assume they can keep growth going forever and over-reach both themselves and the markets. So there's an argument that says we are better off giving them each five years at a time, and then changing to the other one before they do too much damage!!

[bodgit]

The garages are loving this panic buying. Tesco last night had petrol at
139.9plt and diesel at 149.9plt. I only paid 146.9plt for diesel at tesco on monday and 143.9plt last week. Big thanks to the tories. A man who makes decisions on how the country is run sparks off a buying panic and another says he did not know how big a jerry can was.

[Jason A]

Bio diesel from Sheffield area is currantly £1.27 Vers diesel which is hitting £1.47-£1.48 at pumps so there are ways to save money with the currant high diesel prices. And becouse the weather is warm you only need small amount of diesel mixed with the bio diesel.

Also VW,Audi,Seat and skoda diesel cars from 1996 onwards can run 100% biodiesel as per manufacture.

[chalky]

my local forcourt sells deisel for 89p a litre its just a funny colour

[Karting]

Originally Posted by chalky

my local forcourt sells deisel for 89p a litre its just a funny colour

my friend paddy sell's me some of that too

[Jason A]

Originally Posted by chalky

my local forcourt sells deisel for 89p a litre its just a funny colour

The only problem is around where I live They are doing random stop checks and dipping tanks so although it seems good the fine would not be so good

[burgie]

BP Southport were £1.57 per litre diesel last night. Didn't see if it was their ultimate stuff though - don't think it was, but could be wrong.

[TARTMAN]

Originally Posted by chalky

my local forcourt sells deisel for 89p a litre its just a funny colour

I used to get that from the boat yard, but yes, sadly, if stopped/dipped, bye bye vehicle, hello court date. Ok if you drive a banger but not so good if its something nice.....

[Jason A]

http://www.biodieselfillingstations.co.uk/

[Cream]

Originally Posted by Jason A

Bio diesel from Sheffield area is currantly £1.27 Vers diesel which is hitting £1.47-£1.48 at pumps so there are ways to save money with the currant high diesel prices. And becouse the weather is warm you only need small amount of diesel mixed with the bio diesel.

Also VW,Audi,Seat and skoda diesel cars from 1996 onwards can run 100% biodiesel as per manufacture.

All depends how often you want to replace filters, injectors Wouldn't touch the stuff myself.

[TARTMAN]

Originally Posted by Cream

All depends how often you want to replace filters, injectors Wouldn't touch the stuff myself.

I used to use it years ago in my recovery transit, old girl, bit slower but was ok, till fuel pump went bang. not the most expensive but still a few hundred, and was mostly due to the bio. So the money i saved went in one pop.... Its OK if you mix plenty of normal white quality deisel with the bio, but not alone. so now i just use normalk deisel. safer.

[rondoolaa]

why not put a spare tank where your spare wheel goes and connect to that and when stopped and dipped the fuel not being used in the dummy tank will be ok, lol

[TARTMAN]

Originally Posted by rondoolaa

why not put a spare tank where your spare wheel goes and connect to that and when stopped and dipped the fuel not being used in the dummy tank will be ok, lol

but sadly the customs and excise are wise to this ond normally inspect the vehicle if seems iffy, on the plus side cars are normally not checked much, its vans etc that get the most checks.

[budfish]

We've gone into overdrive at work with everyone panic buying fuel.