That's a bit of an exageration. The overall price of gas in Europe is about $5 per gallon, and about $3 of that is taxes. But generally I'm with you on this. Taxes on gasoline should be raised to reduce consumption. Some of the money should be used as general taxation and not only for the highway fund, because cheap gasoline is costing us in many more ways than just wear and tear on the roads. I would start a program of annual raises in the gasoline tax of, let's say, 25 cents a gallon and continue making those raises as long as gas consumption in the U.S. goes up year over year.

2006 HCH Alabaster Silver w/Navi
2003 Honda Accord LX

Hi ElanC:

___$5.00 was yesterdays news. There was a GH member from Europe who posted just 3 or 4 weeks ago that they were paying $7.00 per. The $1.45 for refined gasoline (changes daily) is ~ equivalent as it is here. The rest are taxes.

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes

Here's a British web site quoting petrol prices:
http://www.findcheappetrol.com/

85 pence per liter is about $5.58 per US gallon.

2006 HCH Alabaster Silver w/Navi
2003 Honda Accord LX

Hi ElanC:

___The absolute cheapest price in all England at $5.58/gallon is $4.13 + tax per gallon w/ October delivery sitting at ~ $1.45 on the MERC and the spot at ~ $1.85 this week. Care to find the cheapest gas prices for France, Germany, Switzerland, and Denmark to name just a few other European countries? Denmark was > $7.00in some locales not 2-1/2 months ago after a google search.

Elliot Lee’s Blog

Oct. 8 - Germany - $6.30 per gallon
Oct. 10 - Austria - $6.90 per gallon

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes

Do you really think the price at the pump is made up only of the spot MERC price plus taxes? No delivery cost? No operating cost and profit for the wholesaler and the gas station owner?

I can believe that prices briefly got close to $7 at the same time they hit about $3 here. But that was six weeks ago. Gas prices have dropped about 70 cents per gallon in the U.S. since then which is about 25%. They have dropped back similarly in Europe.


The following web page shows retail prices across Europe as of October.
http://www.aaroadwatch.ie/eupetrolprices/
Clearly Britain was in the top tier of prices in Europe. Only the Netherlands and Northern Ireland were higher. Several countries like Greece, Spain, Switzerland, had substantially lower prices.

2006 HCH Alabaster Silver w/Navi
2003 Honda Accord LX

Hi ElanC:

___A few items … The price on the MERC includes all the refined gasoline Europe ships to the US because they cannot consume it themselves due to the high % of diesels on their highways and byways. The spot is what the average price pre-tax is to the gas station/retailer as also posted above.

___As for $7.00 per, it was not only posted here although I cannot find it at the moment, it has been posted all over the net! I just gave you links to 2 individuals residing in Europe who say they were paying $6.30 and $6.90 in Germany/Austria just 6 weeks ago respectively. 6 + weeks ago I was paying $2.79. What more do you want? As stated previously, the $4.00 - $6.00 in taxes on a gallon of gasoline/diesel the European’s pay is real. What you think is and or isn’t appears to be quite different then those that have to fill up in London proper from the Euro Gas price page you linked earlier. The best I have heard in the states was somewhere in OK. at $1.85 but I am paying $2.09 as of 3 days ago myself

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes

For you to admit, for once, that you might be a little bit wrong?

Nah, forget it. Wayne, you're right. You're always right.

2006 HCH Alabaster Silver w/Navi
2003 Honda Accord LX

Hi ElanC:

___Sometimes but not this time! I am so glad we don’t have $4.00 + taxes like they do in Europe

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes

That was quite a rant, Wayne

Tax petrol until SUV use declines to 10% or so, and Joe American views a family car as 40 MPG minimum. Send all the extra money to clean energy dev, NOT TO THE GENERAL FUND.

That will work; as far as I can tell, nothing else will.

Oh yeah .. to be on topic a bit:
I have seen conflicting opinions whether car weight is proportional to road wear. Anybody have factual data ?

Schwa's point was spot on: Why pick on hybrids, and not every car that gets over 15 MPG ? The revenue collectors have gotten used to a large mix of gas guzzlers in the vehicle mix. If people drive less, or change car choices to *anything* that is more FE than what they currently have, tax receipts will decline. America's roads have a backlog of needed repairs, which is what really have the collectors worried. They want more money NOW, not less -- reasons be ****ed.

Where are they going to get more money ? From SUV owners who tend to vote repubican, or hybrid owners, who tend not to ?

R2-E2, 2G Prius.
Highway/City/Husband/Wife MPG: 56.5, as of 12/2005, 26K miles

Jac Nasser, Ford President: "We are planning to launch a hybrid version of
this car [P2000] within this year [1998]. We will also make FCEV available in
2004."

Man, am I glad members don't have exact address or live next-door to each other.

Interesting Comments:

Terry