Fuel Prices

[maggiebee]

Didn't want to put this in New as I'm not sure just how accurate it is. Friend just posted it.

Petrol & Diesel price today in Kenya = 83p for petrol, 79p for diesel. Kenya buys all its oil at the same cost as the UK per barrel. Irish government today cut tax on fuel. Germany to make a tax cut soon it's reported. UK prices today average £1.60 for petrol, £1 .80 for diesel. All of a sudden UK government say there's plenty of oil in the North Sea! Funny they told us it's been running out for years.

[davebro]

3rd world countries generally have lower prices for everything not just fuel or their people couldn't afford to live.

[aelmpvw]

very true dave, £1.88 for a pint of beer in Kenya . . .

[gingejbee]

^Yes, very simplistic to pick a country with low fuel prices and compare with the U.K.. context is everything. For example, how do average earnings compare?

[THECORBYLOON]

For each litre of regular petrol and diesel, the Government takes
57.95p for fuel duty and VAT at 20% is paid on that duty and the basic price of the fuel.

That means about a third of the price is duty and tax.

[jno]

it's about tuppence a litre in Venezuela and Libya. This compares favourably with north London.

Good point about North Sea oil running out. I suppose it must be, since the sea isn't making any more of it, but there's been no previous urgency about using our own output rather than importing other countries'.

[sunny-dave]

"Irish government today cut tax on fuel" - very true - but the price gouging petrol station operators simply increased their price by the exact same amount on the day before the reduction - so there was no net saving to the motorist.

Funny how every single Circle K filling station had an identical increase on the day before the duty was cut - they must have an enormous fleet of synchronised delivery tankers ... or be price-gouging bar stewards - I'll leave you to decide which.

There is a huge twitter campaign to boycott Circle K - I hope it gains enough traction to hurt the [redacted] [redacted] owners.

[Hopkirk]

I'm just ordering my electric car.

[jno]

can you carry it on the back of your lorry while it recharges, Hopkirk?

[Hopkirk]

I'm getting a three pin socket put on the outside of my house. I can trickle charge it easily, no need for one of those monstrous chargers.

[davebro]

Electric or PHEV hybrid could work for me journey-wise. But with no way to charge at home it's not an option.

[douglas9401]

I see a market opening up for the Islay malts soon with a recycling bin for the bottles at each filling point.

We could also consider trying to burn the surplus hand gel when Her Nippyness unshackles us in a few days.

[maggiebee]

Have read all the comments. My question therefore is - if Kenya (and other countries no doubt) buys all its oil at the same cost as the UK per barrel, how come we pay so much at the pumps?

[Zacs-Master]

Ever been on a Kenyan motorway, with safety barriers, services every 30 miles or so?

No? Well, there you go (partly).

[sanmac]

ZM, I don't understand your post. What do safety barriers and services have to do with the price of gas?

[sanmac]

Oops, I guess I should have said "the price of petrol".

[jno]

Kenya has its own oil, though not much infrastructure yet; that'll help keep the price down.

[Buenchico]

>>> if Kenya (and other countries no doubt) buys all its oil at the same cost as the UK per barrel, how come we pay so much at the pumps

Could it possibly be that Kenya doesn't spend per much per head on health services as the UK does, that it doesn't spend as much on social care as the UK does, that it doesn't spend as much on education as the UK does and that it doesn't spend as much on infrastructure (such as motorways) as the UK does? All of those things need to be paid for and it's the tax and duty on fuel that helps the UK government to do so.

[Zacs-Master]

SanMac, Petrol is heavily taxed. Part of the money raised which goes into Govt coffers is spent on infrastructure such as roads.
https://www.acenet.co.uk/media/1538/funding-roads.pdf

[jackthehat]

Having driven on Kenyan roads I can say that it is extremely easy to tell where the money isn't spent.
The majority of tarmaced roads (outside the main towns/cities) followed the routes taken by the President to his various residences....and no further.
Comparing Kenyan fuel prices to UK prices in what seems a convoluted attempt to kick the UK government by a ScotsNat is a very odd way to do so.

[youngmafbog]

//Could it possibly be that Kenya doesn't spend per much per head on health services as the UK does, //

So the Motorist has to pay for health care, and thats good?

No, that argument is nonsense, if health care needs funding then do it through income tax or the like.