Think perhaps we're getting stitched up?

[peter_w]

I cannot believe that the UK consumer is standing for the theft that is happening right now. I've been a strong proponent of the free market, but we live in mixed market where it is free when it suits our "owners" and mixed when we are expect to pay. I cannot believe people put up with lives here in the UK - I know I do, but not for much longer...

Where do you plan on going? http://www.drive-alive.co.uk/fuel_prices_europe.html

 

[disruptive]

Where do you plan on going? http://www.drive-alive.co.uk/fuel_prices_europe.html

The prices are similar across the eurozone, but the pub transport is so bad and so expensive in england compared to europe.

 

[Frog]

The prices are similar across the eurozone, but the pub transport is so bad and so expensive in england compared to europe.

Not sure about anywhere else but the metro system in Prague is pretty good, everyone was moaning as they just put the price up as well. You now pay just over £1 and you can travel on all the underground, buses and trams for a 90 minute period.

Bear in mind people earn significantly less in most of Europe though... a typical barmaid/cleaner/shop worker/secretary here is going to get £2.50 - £3.50 an hour.

 

[binny]

Have you noticed how the price at the pump is very sticky. I.e. the actual cost of oil has fallen away but we still seem to be paying the price when oil was rocketing in price. Now prices are back at $80 a barrel - are we paying less? No.

Brent crude has been over $100 since February it is WTI which has sunk to $80 which has no impact on our petrol prices. WTI being so low compared to Brent crude isn't normal but its a direct reflection of how bad things are economically in the US.

 

[binny]

That total, over a year, equals £58,763,279,025... which is barely enough to cover the amount of interest we are currently paying (~£46 billion). The total deficit is still going to be ~£170 billion. Once you are into these kind of numbers, £60 billion from fuel taxes barely even scratches the surface.

You can add another £15 billion+ for production taxes on the UK oil industry and I would presume another £10-15 billion corporation tax from the UK based oil companies. Thats a massive hole if they don't have it.

 

[BREWSTERS]

Does anyone know where to find figures for total tax income for all the countries in Europe? Getting nowhere on Google...

 

[BREWSTERS]

I'm not sure if this would help: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_rates_of_Europe. Do you want to know how much actual money each country gets in taxes a year in total, rather than %age rates?

Yes it's the total revenue figures I was after. Thanks for the link though.

 

[binny]

Tax per EU state as a % of GDP and total in Euros

http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/st...nue_by_country_(millions_of_eur_%_of_GDP).PNG

Tax broken down per EU state broken down by tax type

http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/st...by_main_tax_categories(percentage_of_GDP).PNG

 

[BREWSTERS]

Tax per EU state as a % of GDP and total in Euros

http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/st...nue_by_country_(millions_of_eur_%_of_GDP).PNG

Tax broken down per EU state broken down by tax type

http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/st...by_main_tax_categories(percentage_of_GDP).PNG

Great info Binny - thanks!

 

[retired_member33]

Great info Binny - thanks!

Just wondering what these stats tell you?

 

[BREWSTERS]

Just wondering what these stats tell you?

I just wanted to see how much tax income this country gets compared to other countries that I consider to have a higher standard of living.

It does seem to work out that the countries that enjoy a higher standard of living (IMO), pay more tax. What I didn't want to see was the UK paying much more tax but getting worse services due to wastage.

 

[Skinner]

I used to work for MAN Diesel (Engineering) in Research and Development, and they tried running engines on everything from unrefined heavy oil (looked like thick black sludge that was the left overs from the crude after petrol quality was removed). You had to heat it up before starting the engine, and engine really didn't like it. Con rods 8 inch thick was mangled all the time.

They had one running on abattoir waste. It was ground up fat, gristle, skin, small bones, you name it (I often debated disposing of my boss this way). It was ground into a hard paste, almost like soap or lard, and felt like sandpaper. That you had to melt too before the engine would start and when it did start, jesus the emissions was nasty, it smelled bad before it burned too.

Another running on food waste, vegetable waste, you name it it was tried. Its surprising, its more a case of what CAN'T you run an engine on. Its more down to is it effective, some of them the output was barely enough to operate a kids toy, others was powering 100s of lights.

Augsburg where the main development was done, I was told they had a water powered engine, as I recall it used precious metals in the reaction to charge the battery which in-turn powered a standard electrical engine. They was looking at other materials which could be used to save on the metals. Really even though they say its Water Powered it was Hydrogen which produced the power, and it used massive amounts of copper and some amount of gold/platinum. I left the company before I got any where near that so don't know alot about it.