I'm not sure what you're saying "not true" about. I agree, Europeans in general pay more taxes on gasoline than Americans do. That's the primary reason for the difference in price.

-Brad

 

Has anyone else noticed that it seems like the gas prices go up as soon as the price per barrel of oil goes up but when the price of oil comes down the gas prices stay up? And the oil companies spit out some BS that they are drawing down stock purchased at the higher rate? Or maybe it's just me and my conspiracy theories.

 

In AZ I just paid $2.11 for 87 and it cost $47 to fill my F150.
You can not compare to Europe. They have a LARGE travel system with trains and buses and SMALL cars.

USA has wide open spaces with miles of roads, etc. We need autos way more than Europeans.

My gas bill is $90 per week for my wife and me. My wife just takes my son to school and I drive 20 miles to work.


This year I am going to spend $7k-10k on fuel if you add a few trips in.

 

You gotta love that the gas stations around here have a $50 limit when paying with credit card. Thats great since my 35 gallon tank needs more than $50 to fill its stomach. If I go below a quarter tank I need to fill up twice to get around the 50 buck limit.

 

My local station has a $48.00 dollar limit if you use your card at the pump. If you take the card inside then there is no limit. Going inside of course is an extra pain in the a$$.

 

I don't mean to be rude (seriously), but I don't care what others pay. We've been paying what we've been paying for a long time and there's no reason to believe they can't continue to offer lower prices to us. The whole issue with consumption is another story. I wish we'd invent a cheap fuel cell car that gives the same power at the same price, then we'd be set...not have to be enslaved to these countries that would rather see us blown up than sell us oil. Just my opinion.

I was in Germany for 3 years in the Army...I know it was much more over there. If they wanna pay it, let 'em pay it...but I don't want to.

 

Gas went from 40-50 cents in the 1950's-1960's.
Was 60-70 cents in the 1970's.

In the 1980's I remember paying 85 cents and then towards the 90's it went above a buck and I remember the pumps only having 2 digits and they had to tape a "1" on the pump. Some stations made the pump half the price then doubled it on the bill. So 51 cents would be a $1.02.

The 1990's it started to climb to lower $1.10 - $1.20

HOW IN THE HELL DID IT GET TO $2.11+

93 Octane is $2.30 here in AZ

 

here is a possible solution....

government mandates minimum 20% ethanol in ALL gas grades (except diesel)

This reduces oil dependency by 20% and suddenly, all of the poor farmers are doing great business because their crops destined to be distilled are now on a different commodity list. (fuels versus foods)Farmers make money again, we are less dependant... everyone except the oil producing nations and companies that have been screwing the world for 50 years.

 

however this generates the same dilema as the 100mpg carb...the oil companies like Texaco and Mobile with take that 20% hit. Sure we become less dependent as a nation but everyone knows the all mighty dollar is king. I agree with the additives and I am all for it, but then again I dont work for the American oil companies. And as far as why gas never goes down, if you knew you could charge $8.00 a beer at a baseball game and people would buy it, would you lower your prices...we all complain but in the end we still need it and buy it...demand.

 

This is just not true. We pay less because our gas taxes are less, there are no US government subsidies on gasoline.

Grim

 

Here in San Diego, we've been over $2/gal since mid-Feb. Low is around $2.20 while most stations are charging around $2.30. There's even one crazy 76 station only a few miles from my house that is charging $2.79 (even though I never see anybody at their pumps).

The time has come for the government to sever ties with the oil industry and start looking at alternative energy sources. We've had 30 years since the Carter administration to come up with alternatives but we continue to drive gas guzzlers (I am guilty of this too). If the oil industry knew the US didn't have to depend on oil, then surely prices would drop becuase demand wouldn't be as high anymore.

 

President Bush has already allocated over $1 Billion to alternative energy research. The energy sector will produce alternative forms of transportation when there is a demand. Even though gas prices are high at the moment there is still not enough demand for alternative modes of transport to make them commercially feasible!

Grim

 

I worked at a gas station/truck stop while in college in Virginia during 1982/83 and our gas prices were well above $1.00 per gallon, I remember it hitting at least 1.41 per gallon. I started driving in the late 70's and that is when gas started going up over $1.00 per gallon.

I saw an article a few weeks ago, maybe in USA Today, that said when you consider inflation gas was the equivalent of $2.40 per gallon back in 1980. The article then discussed some of the reasons for higher prices, the multiple mixes the various states mandate, the fact that no new refineries have been built in like 30 years, if a shortage occurs in one part of the country you can't just re-route gas from other parts of the country because it may not be the same mandated blend, etc...

Georgia is among the lowest priced gas in the country because the state doesn't impose as high of tax on gas like some other states. I currently live in Georgia, filled up this past weekend at 1.78 per gallon, only 37 cents, or so, a gallon higher than we charged at one point at the station I worked at in Virginia.

 

As stated numerious times before the Gas price here in the US and elsewhere is about the same, running about a buck a gallion for the fuel itself. In fact only 40% of the price of fuel is from the cost of crude...

So while crude oil fluctation does raise the price when it goes up... It isn't the sole problem. There are 42 gallions of crude in a barrel so a $1 raise in the barrel price = a $0.023 increase per gallion... So basically the $10 per barrel price increase = about a $0.23 a gallion increase in cost.

http://money.howstuffworks.com/gas-price.htm

http://www.gaspricewatch.com/gastaxes.asp

The rest of the cost is basically from taxes and goverment mandated reformulation. The current methiod of reformulation where each area has a "custom" blend prohibits mass refininging (increasing costs) and causes spot shortages (price spikes) they simply can't send the gas from Maine to say wisconsin to cover demand. You will also knotice that reformulations switch from Winter to summer (custom blend) in May (the start of the peak driving period.
Smart move right.

In short after the approxamently $1.00 Fuel cost the problem of pump fuel price rests squarley on your congress critters (State/US) shoulders! They created it and they cause it.

Your congress critter know this but generally blame it on the oil companies/opec...

Frankly we could see an immeadate reduction in pump price with simple action from our elected officials.
They could

1. Reducing the gas taxes

2. Waving the custom reformulation

This would immeaditly reduce pump prices. So if your sick of the high prices of gas, I suggest you grab your congress critter by the shirt collar and expalin to him/her your displeasure... After all they caused it and they can correct it!

Also you cna remeind them this is an election year...


Jim






the rest is taxes...
US
http://www.gaspricewatch.com/gastaxes.asp

 

Jimmer your post was interesting about gas costing a dollar and everything else being taves and government mandated costs.
Can you explain this?

Exxon Mobil Profits 2001 - 7 Billion
Exxon Mobil Profits 2002 - 11 Billion
Exxon Mobil Profits 2003 - 21 Billion
Exxon Mobil Profits 2004 - ???

(That's 'profits' not revenue)