UK continually screws us over - why has oil crashed but out forecourt prices have not

[g0ldf1ng3r 13]

Crude oil has been making lots of headlines in the past week or two, mainly due to it crashing out of its own backside.

 

http://www.businessinsider.com/oil-gets-crushed-october-7-2014-10

 

the price per barrel is now almost HALF what it was in its peak in 2011 yet our forecourt prices remain overly inflated

 

im sure most of you will agree how much it vexes us that they are so quick to increase the forecourt price when the barrel price goes up but god damn they dont like reducing it anywhere near as quickly OR by anywhere near as much when it goes down

 

how are these business 'criminals' getting away with continually ripping us off!!!! & why are the UK government - who are supposedly voted in by us & are meant to work for the benefit of us the UK public - doing nothing to force these companies to reduce the cost as quickly as they increase it

 

IMO i feel that our MP's are only in it for the benefit of lining their own pockets with as much money they can get from as many angle's as possible & generally dont give a flying f**k about the people they are meant to 'work for'

 

discuss....

Edited October 9, 2014 by g0ldf1ng3r

[BILLCOR 1]

Crude oil has been making lots of headlines in the past week or two, mainly due to it crashing out of its own backside.

 

http://www.businessinsider.com/oil-gets-crushed-october-7-2014-10

 

the price per barrel is now almost HALF what it was in its peak in 2011 yet our forecourt prices remain overly inflated

 

im sure most of you will agree how much it vexes us that they are so quick to increase the forecourt price when the barrel price goes up but god damn they dont like reducing it anywhere near as quickly OR by anywhere near as much when it goes down

 

how are these business 'criminals' getting away with continually ripping us off!!!! & why are the UK government - who are supposedly voted in by us & are meant to work for the benefit of us the UK public - doing nothing to force these companies to reduce the cost as quickly as they increase it

 

IMO i feel that our MP's are only in it for the benefit of lining their own pockets with as much money they can get from as many angle's as possible & generally dont give a flying f**k about the people they are meant to 'work for'

 

discuss....

 

Surely you haven't just noticed this, how do you think we feel in Scotland, we didn't even vote the Tory barstewards in!

[Jim 1]

Probably because the tax the government makes on fuel is a percentage rather than a flat rate, so it's in their interest for the price of petrol to be as high as possible.

 

Surely you haven't just noticed this, how do you think we feel in Scotland, we didn't even vote the Tory barstewards in!

 

Technically neither did the rest of the UK. You had your chance with the independence vote but it looks like the majority of the Scotland are happy with things the way they are?!

[g0ldf1ng3r 13]

Surely you haven't just noticed this, how do you think we feel in Scotland, we didn't even vote the Tory barstewards in!

 

of course not billcor ;) - ive been of the mindset that we need a modern day Guy Fawkes for many a year now & actually have people running the country for the people living here

[g0ldf1ng3r 13]

Probably because the tax the government makes on fuel is a percentage rather than a flat rate, so it's in their interest for the price of petrol to be as high as possible.

 

Indeed Jim but 'we' the public are were told back when petrol was still under the £1 level that the big increase was due to the high price of oil per barrel

 

i know we the majority of the forecourt price is duty BUT why are we not seeing a heavy decrease now that the price per barrel has dropped so much - its so the fat cats can line their greedy pockets

[davidwort 0]

Surely you haven't just noticed this, how do you think we feel in Scotland, we didn't even vote the Tory barstewards in!

no, but if you want to look at it like that you did vote in Labour and they royally f****d up the whole economy and allowed Scottish banks to do a more than their fair contribution to it.

Don't think any one political party is better or worse than another, they all have they own pros and cons and are partly a product of our own simplistic views of rights and wrongs, just count yourself lucky you're not ruled by French/Italian/Greek etc. politicians, our lot are pretty honorable in comparison.

[Jim Bowen 1]

It's all those free or £20-30 Road tax cars. Must be losing loads of money. When everyone has a road tax free car. What will they do? Tyre tax imo.

[seanl82 23]

Except when it comes to expenses.......... :silent: They're all professional thieves if you ask me. Selling government firms for pocket change after they've chucked the money they've claimed in expenses into the shares. Once sold, said share prices go through the roof, they cash those shares in, causing the private company who bought the firm to push prices up to ensure they don't cut a loss. Government then declares a recession as no one wants to buy from this private firm as GDP is now far far less than we owe to the world Bank, so they increase taxes and the circle begins again. Steal fromvthe poor and give to the rich.

[davidwort 0]

have you seen how much it is to tax a less efficient car though?, no doubt it will have to change but a post 2001 car over 186g/km is from £265 to £500 per year, for comparison my 40mpg 1.6 golf is 167g/km (£205) so there must be a lot of vehicles over £205 still on the roads, plus anything over 1549cc and pre 2001 is now £230 pa (all our Corrados :( )

[g0ldf1ng3r 13]

surely the oil companies must bear some responsibility themselves as it was they who said the increase was needed when crud oil prices went up drastically

 

funny how they are not so quick to drop the prices when they are now making so much more money now its crashed

 

road tax has been a UK rip off almost since the time it was conceived as shortly after the scheme began they stopped using it for what it was meant for - IE the maintenance & repair of our UK roads......& look at the state of them now!!

[Kevin Bacon 5]

We all have our reasons to hate the government and big business, but on the flip side, I can take a £285 tax band car, double it's power and still only pay £285 road tax. And due to slack policing, I can drive it as fast as I like, when I like. V power and Tesco 99 readily available.

 

Compare that freedom to say, Italy where you are not allowed to modify your car at all and say, Switzerland where everything car related is despised and taxed to death, plus ridiculous speed limits and billions of enforcement cameras. The UK is also not the most expensive for fuel, or income tax, or National Insurance type contributions.

 

I hear where you're coming from, but there will always be arse holes in government and big business creaming us plebs. It's part of life. Don't worry about things beyond your control and you might live a few more years and stave off a few more wrinkles :D

 

And let's not forget we are also to blame for this. The UK are such car whores and no government would turn their backs on all that juicy revenue. You gotta pay to play and I'm sorry, but all these 3 and 4 car families can **** off with their whining about fuel prices.

 

I had a choc orange covered rice cake with my coffee, so I'm feeling unusually optimistic & philosophical this afternoon.

[g0ldf1ng3r 13]

We all have our reasons to hate the government and big business, but on the flip side, I can take a £285 tax band car, double it's power and still only pay £285 road tax. And due to slack policing, I can drive it as fast as I like, when I like. V power and Tesco 99 readily available.

 

Compare that freedom to say, Italy where you are not allowed to modify your car at all and say, Switzerland where everything car related is despised and taxed to death, plus ridiculous speed limits and billions of enforcement cameras. The UK is also not the most expensive for fuel, or income tax, or National Insurance type contributions.

 

I hear where you're coming from, but there will always be arse holes in government and big business creaming us plebs. It's part of life. Don't worry about things beyond your control and you might live a few more years and stave off a few more wrinkles :D

 

And let's not forget we are also to blame for this. The UK are such car whores and no government would turn their backs on all that juicy revenue. You gotta pay to play and I'm sorry, but all these 3 and 4 car families can **** off with their whining about fuel prices.

 

I had a choc orange covered rice cake with my coffee, so I'm feeling unusually optimistic & philosophical this afternoon.

 

mmm choc orange, nice Kev :)

 

all good points m8 - i guess my reason for rant posting was more about the fact that 'they' (whoever they may be) are so quick to jack prices up when oil barrel prices increased but then show very little sign or willing to reduce them back down as fairly

 

& was definitely a rant rather than a wrinkle causing worry ;)

 

i like to regularly stop in life, take a look around & enjoy the best parts of it as most of the time, blink & you will miss it

[mic_VR 3]

I had a choc orange covered rice cake with my coffee, so I'm feeling unusually optimistic & philosophical this afternoon.

 

Who are you, and how did you get into Kev's account?

[Kevin Bacon 5]

For sure I was hacked! I live on fags and red bull. Rice cakes? Pah, sawdust tasting load of crap!

 

all good points m8 - i guess my reason for rant posting was more about the fact that 'they' (whoever they may be) are so quick to jack prices up when oil barrel prices increased but then show very little sign or willing to reduce them back down as fairly

 

Again, we are to blame for that! We protested once about fuel prices, back in 2005 or when ever it was. And even then that was just some hardy truck drivers doing rolling road blocks and blocking refinery entrances. The public en mass showed the government exactly what they thought of price rises - they kept on paying for it. Ironically, fuel prices are now the highest they've ever been (I think) and no one bats an eyelid. People just merrily pay it, and then go home and kick the dog, or take it out on other motorists.

 

We've said it before. All it would take is boycotting all BPs, or Shells for a day, just one day, to send a message, and it's easy to do. But nope, people are too apathetic, lazy and disinterested to actually do anything about the things they complain about. Not a pop at you, just people in general!

 

My commute is only 25 miles a day, round trip, so fuel cost isn't a big issue for me, but I do pity small businesses who do a lot of miles.

Edited October 9, 2014 by Kevin Bacon

[mic_VR 3]

Ultimately we as the voting public have (in theory) control over our elected representatives. They are required to answer to their constituents as regards their promises and actions, and the actions of their party. If we vote them in and they don't uphold their promises we should vote for someone else. And any policies made should (in theory) have the backing of the public majority.

 

Obviously it's never this simple but I don't believe we have a strong enough voting ethic in this country, as demonstrated by the 60% turnout of eligible voters at the last general election, so the system is inherently flawed. This allows those in power to remain in power as more often than not the people who do vote are party loyal, and therefore nothing significant changes.

I'm all for compulsory voting, this ensures that the majority are spoken for. I may be waffling but Kev is correct. We only have ourselves to blame for anything that happens. How many people write to their local MP to complain? Or file petitions with Parliament?

 

BTW I'm not defending the government in anyway, I believe them to be a fairly even spread of power hungry ethically wayward lying cheating morons... but I still try to vote for the one I believe will do the least worse job. Not that my choices are always successful! :lol:

 

But where I'm trying to get to is that certain things are universal in politics, One of which is Tax. And no party is going to drop fuel duty rates as it is such a good earner, and is a stealth tax which means it's hidden away so people don't notice.... much like VAT unless you're a business.

And to be honest, I'm happy with that. The government sets tax targets and budgets based on these taxes... and if they drop fuel duty something else will go up (how many noticed your tax band increased this year to £10K? How many noticed the 40% band limit dropped to pull more people into the 40% rate?) as the government never just give money back, the deficit is never going to allow that. And as someone who doesn't do many miles I'm better paying a higher fuel duty to drive when I want to rather than higher Income Tax as a blanket on my salary.

 

Just my 10p worth.

[Sean_Jaymo 0]

Seeing as you're an accountant Mic, I trust you'd know your way around figures!

 

Personally, I find if people don't like the government, they moan and the low turn out on voting day proves that people aren't all prepared to do anything about it. I'd agree with compulsory voting, be it postal vote or in person. That way, at least you have a point when you moan about things.

[DPS 10]

I actually think the lack of decrease is environmental. The message given for years has been that resources are low and we need to think of alternatives. It's same reason they increase tobacco duty, so they earn more off the smokers while appearing to be encouraging people to give up.

 

I do agree though it's very unfair to squeeze us like this. I'm not convinced the money earned from the duty paid goes into finding these alternative sources either.

 

Dawn

[Kevin Bacon 5]

BTW I'm not defending the government in anyway, I believe them to be a fairly even spread of power hungry ethically wayward lying cheating morons...

 

:lol: Well said that man!

 

I actually think the lack of decrease is environmental. The message given for years has been that resources are low and we need to think of alternatives. It's same reason they increase tobacco duty, so they earn more off the smokers while appearing to be encouraging people to give up.

 

I do agree though it's very unfair to squeeze us like this. I'm not convinced the money earned from the duty paid goes into finding these alternative sources either.

 

Dawn

 

Oil prospectors and speculators can't be trusted, and neither can oil refineries. They've been sending out false messages about oil supplies drying up for decades. This country will come to a grinding halt long before the oil runs out. We'll soon need 10 lane motorways going into London. The Dartford bridge is now permanently backed up during the day, and they've had to scrap the toll booths to try and ease congestion. It's getting ridiculous, but still the government turn a blind eye to the obviousness that's under their stupid noses.

 

The oil companies are probably bricking themselves right now about how fast electric cars are improving. Proper hybrids from McLaren, Porsche and Audi are available right now. There are also a few full electric cars on sale right now, too.

 

Demand for fuel will take a rapid decline once these cars become more mainstream and cheaper. I bet the oil cartels are doing their level best to slow down their progress. If the governments and big business actually cared about the planet and it's occupants, they would just ban cigarettes immediately and pump most of the fuel profits into alternative energy. And I'm sorry, I'm all for some Chinese dictatorship when it comes to kids as well because there is just isn't room for 16 kid families in this country anymore.

[Wullie 1]

I actually think the lack of decrease is environmental. The message given for years has been that resources are low and we need to think of alternatives. It's same reason they increase tobacco duty, so they earn more off the smokers while appearing to be encouraging people to give up.

 

I do agree though it's very unfair to squeeze us like this. I'm not convinced the money earned from the duty paid goes into finding these alternative sources either.

 

Dawn

 

Resources were low and running out according to Mr Camoron prior to 18th September, however a week later :-

 

[h=3]The Clair Ridge Field[/h]Off the West coast of Shetland is the Clair Ridge field. It contains an estimated 8 billion barrels of oil, with an estimated 120,000 barrels per day production at peak levels. To put this in perspective – the total stage two investment of £4.5 billion is the equivalent of nine Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. The value of the field is almost £300 billion.

This is a single, yet highly significant field. In the 1970s, when it was identified, it was outwith the reach of drilling companies. With advances in technology deeper drilling is now possible, which will boost tax income for an independent Scotland. Other fields off to the West of Shetland and the Atlantic are predicted to overtake North Sea production in future decades.

 

I implicitly trust our politicians every word as the whole and solemn truth. NOT

[davidwort 0]

pensioners, that's the problem, too many, living too long, spending all day draining the NHS, they vote too much and have protected benefits increases, not too mention they have all the assets, next time you see one on a zebra crossing accelerate!

 

in all seriousness, baby-boomers need to pay more tax, especially on property, what school leavers have any chance of their own home these days?

[Wullie 1]

pensioners, that's the problem, too many, living too long, spending all day draining the NHS, they vote too much and have protected benefits increases, not too mention they have all the assets, next time you see one on a zebra crossing accelerate!

 

in all seriousness, baby-boomers need to pay more tax, especially on property, what school leavers have any chance of their own home these days?

 

I can only apologise David, I didn't realise I would still be alive :) lol. I tried on various occasions to cease to be a burden on the state but have failed miserably. Though, to be fair, if I didn't have a private pension and had to rely on the state pittance I would probably be pushing up the daisies by now. I do seriously pity people trying to get onto the housing ladder, it is nigh on impossible, particularly if you live in London or the South East.

[BILLCOR 1]

Resources were low and running out according to Mr Camoron prior to 18th September, however a week later :-

 

[h=3]The Clair Ridge Field[/h]Off the West coast of Shetland is the Clair Ridge field. It contains an estimated 8 billion barrels of oil, with an estimated 120,000 barrels per day production at peak levels. To put this in perspective – the total stage two investment of £4.5 billion is the equivalent of nine Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. The value of the field is almost £300 billion.

This is a single, yet highly significant field. In the 1970s, when it was identified, it was outwith the reach of drilling companies. With advances in technology deeper drilling is now possible, which will boost tax income for an independent Scotland. Other fields off to the West of Shetland and the Atlantic are predicted to overtake North Sea production in future decades.

 

I implicitly trust our politicians every word as the whole and solemn truth. NOT

 

Yeah Wullie, they must be crying with laughter now...... we are the 45%

[DPS 10]

Resources were low and running out according to Mr Camoron prior to 18th September, however a week later :-

 

[h=3]The Clair Ridge Field[/h]Off the West coast of Shetland is the Clair Ridge field. It contains an estimated 8 billion barrels of oil, with an estimated 120,000 barrels per day production at peak levels. To put this in perspective – the total stage two investment of £4.5 billion is the equivalent of nine Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. The value of the field is almost £300 billion.

This is a single, yet highly significant field. In the 1970s, when it was identified, it was outwith the reach of drilling companies. With advances in technology deeper drilling is now possible, which will boost tax income for an independent Scotland. Other fields off to the West of Shetland and the Atlantic are predicted to overtake North Sea production in future decades.

 

I implicitly trust our politicians every word as the whole and solemn truth. NOT

 

To be honest they can say what they like, until the muggle-bus and the company of it's bus-****ers is more fun than my car, I'll continue to choose the car over their extortionate, poorly organised public transport system.

 

The petrol is worth paying for just to avoid the alternative. But I reserve the right to moan about paying for it :D

[jamiehamy 0]

Well...forecourt prices have now dropped...£1 a litre anyone?! Better late than never.

[nitsypee 0]

A fellow told me yesterday that there's a chance it could go down to 99p/litre by the end of the month.