Optimax Pricing

[y0z2a]

My optimax has gone up by 3p per litre? to 83.9!!!

why? is it the budget increases or the pre-budget increases?

y0z

 

[Ben H]

Neither. Its a price increase in oil as the oil markets are going a bit crazy with all the talk of war. Theres nowt oil coming out of Iraq in global terms, but if the Saudis get scared and cut production...

Its all hyopthetical, but traders buy future supplies of oil. If they think that the price for oil in a few months time will be higher, they buy now to sell later at a profit. In fact, many completely unrealted companies have staff especially to buy and sell oil as its so profitable if done right - someone like M&S will make more by oil speculating than from many store lines.

The tax on fuel is a proportinate tax - i.e. a percentage one. So if oil cost 10p and its 10% tax, then what we pay is 11p. But if the oil rises to 11p, the price rises to 12.1p as 10% of 11p is 1.1p. The former tory govt introduced a fuel tax escalator - whereby tax on fuel rose every year by law. Labour scrapped it after the fuel protests of 2000.

 

[m@thew]

paid 81.9 yesterday, was 69.9 when I bought the car 18 months ago

 

[Mike Wright]

Its also about fixing due to a recent development (last 5 years or less) called deregulation.

The price fixing can be controlled, but only when the government or legislative groups to set the ACCC onto the problem. Then the fuel companies back down and lay low for about 3 months until the heat is off. By then, its usually school holidays time, and theyre busy little bees once again, skyrocketing fuel prices especially on the East coast.

Heres another classic I heard about 2 weeks ago - the fuel companies were saying to expect a rise to somewhere over a dollar per litre if the US strikes on Iraq again. But the problem is the oil doesnt come from Iraq - it comes from KUWAIT!! And anyone that has an inkling of what happened nearly 12 years ago would have picked up on that one as well. http://www.ravworld.com/board/images/smilies/rolleyes

Yep, its a joke alright, but I dont see ANY Uk motorist laughing about it...

 

[m@thew]

as I do alot of miles i keep thinking of getting a cheap diesel as a 2nd car, double the mpg of my 172 would be nice.

 

[telford_mike]

80.9 in Telford on Sunday. Government plan to make us all drive more slowly perhaps? Everyone start digging up the back garden. First to strike oil gets an extra Cliosport star

 

[KDF]

the trouble is, much with anything else the goverment does, it only affects the poor people. The rich people wont even notice..

 

[KDF]

i think its prudent to say that the goverment should deffinatly think about lowering the tax ..

 

[Mike Wright]

I agree _KDF! For example if you charge the drivers going into central London (ie: Directors etc) do they think that a charge makes any difference on a £170,000 salary! I think not. All it does is clear the path for the rich.

DAMN IT I THINK I WILL START A REVOLUTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Viv172]

not that I agree with the charge in London, (although it hasnt proved it self one way or the other yet) being the same for all regardless of income, the fact is if your gonna sit in London traffic all day then youll have to be able to aford a large fuel bill any way whatever your income??

About the Iraq war/ oil price connection, yes Kuwait has the oil thats the real reason Bush wants to stop Sadam so he doesnt get his hands on it. At the moment America buys from Kuwait very cheaply, if sadam got it then that would end for the Americans...so why we have to get involved is beyond me as we will never see petrol as cheap as America and the rest of the world.

BTW Optimax here 79.9

 

[Fred@BTM]

81.9p in Brum

 

[BenFromOz]

Here in australia were paying around A$1.10 per litre for optimax at present. This works out at about 43p (at current rate) so you guys must be getting taxed pretty heavily.

 

[BenR]

damn straight!!!!

 

[RobFenn]

So once again the UK is getting ripped off! I dont look at petrol prices, so i cant be outraged!

 

[Jas]

80.9p in southend on Sunday

 

[DanG]

It went up because of a strike by oil workers in Venezuela aswell, they had been striking since before crimbo and only finished at the end of january, beleive it or not Venezuela is one of the 8 oil producing nations..

When the strike was on the petrol companies didnt pass on the price increase to us so petrol stayed at what it was before about 72-75p per litre, when the Iraq situation started to get cranked up like now the price has gone up again and they have had to pass the inflated price on..

I want to know why the prices hasnt gone down again now our south american pals are back at work....extortionate tw*ts!

 

[philip]

register to http://www.aapetrolbusters.comwww.aapetrolbusters.com and you can find the cheapest petrol in your area. Id say it works 50% of the time.. better than nothing!