the next time someone tells you how lucky we are to be paying ONLY $4+/gallon...

[islandmkl]

compared to the Europeans...you might want to know why:

This is the price of gas Without taxes in each country:

Date	      Belgium  France  Germany Italy Netherl.  	UK	US
3/31/2008	3.22	3.20	3.07	3.52	3.76	3.06	3.11
4/7/2008	3.29	3.21	3.02	3.51	3.81	3.08	3.15
4/14/2008	3.32	3.28	3.18	3.61	3.85	3.09	3.21
4/21/2008	3.40	3.32	3.27	3.64	3.98	3.17	3.33
4/28/2008	3.55	3.35	3.30	3.65	4.00	3.23	3.43
5/5/2008	3.55	3.35	3.26	3.69	3.96	3.25	3.44
5/12/2008	3.56	3.40	3.28	3.83	4.09	3.29	3.55
5/19/2008	3.74	3.54	3.51	3.89	4.12	3.37	3.62
5/26/2008	3.95	3.70	3.55	4.08	4.34	3.43	3.76
6/2/2008	4.00	3.74	3.60	4.07	4.34	3.65	3.80
6/9/2008	3.93	3.69	3.61	4.07	4.43	3.64	3.87


http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/international/oilprice.html



Weekly (Monday) Retail Premium Gasoline Prices, Selected
Countries (U.S. Dollars per Gallon) Prices Excluding Taxes,
January 1, 1996 - Present 

http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/international/Gas0.xls  - the full
chart - loads slowly, tell it 'NO' you don't want to link

edit: sorry for the jumbled format...

[Vinca]

1. I would gleefully pay European gas prices if I had the healthcare

and other social benefits they receive. Everything evens out.

[jtrockville]

2. Yes, elsewhere the PEOPLE reap benefits from gas prices. For us...

only the oil companies reap the benefits.

[sandnsea]

4. And the public transit

I don't know why people always omit those little details when saying we complain about gas prices too much.

[The2ndWheel]

7. What would you say to the people protesting in Europe over the price of gas?

[Vinca]

8. I'd say come to the U.S., enjoy our gas prices which are low

by your standards, and don't forget to bring $12,000 for a health insurance policy.

[LSK]

9. I would ask if they were protesting the prices in the past 20 years or so

Because their taxes are not a new thing.

[shireen]

3. good data ....

i'd be glad to pay more for gas IF a significant chunk of it went towards maintaining our infrastructure and developing alternative renewable energy sources. Otherwise, it's clear that we're being robbed by a bunch of thugs hiding behind hedge funds and congress.

BTW, isn't oil partially subsidized? Can't remember if it is or not.

[valerief]

6. Yes, they don't pay taxes. nt

[valerief]

5. You mean those civilized countries with universal health care and

bans on pit bulls? I wanna move!!!!!!!!!!

Great table. Thanks.

[whopis01]

10. I find that data a little questionable. The US value is not correct.

Perhaps I am missing something, but does that data indicate that the price per gallon in the US (as of 6/9/2008) is $3.87 without taxes?

The average tax on a gallon of gas is about $0.47 in the US (counting state and federal taxes). In fact, the same source shows that the price in the US including taxes is $4.27 per gallon on 6/9/2008 which is not accurate.

I realize that this is just data you got from your source, which should be expected to be accurate, but it just does not line up.

[huskerlaw]

11. Perhaps not overall,

but gas was over $4.27/gallon in California on 6/9/08. So while the numbers may not be correct as far as the US average is concerned, there was gas more expensive than that in the US on that date.

[islandmkl]

12. it is not unfathomable that i can't read a chart...

go to the website, their are tons of fairly up-to-date/current energy statistics available:

HOME: http://www.eia.doe.gov/ - go to 'International'

http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/international/contents.html - go to Petroleum (Oil) - click 'Prices'

http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/international/oilprice.html

http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/international/gas1.html - has gas prices WITH taxes

you can track shipments, prices, reserves....

[tabasco]

13. My girlfriend in Germany doesn't own a car.

Commutes 150 miles every weekend.

Trains and buses go everywhere.

She doesn't need a car.

[kath]

14. Exactly - you can get by pretty well without a car in most of those pinko Commie Yurpeen countries.

but then you'd have to be a pinko commie, wouldn'tcha? "I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm FREEEEEEE."

Your German girlfriend - she's not free. You should feel sorry for her.




{oh, gack, my head's about to explode. heeeeelllllllpppppp.}

[Prophet 451]

21. My dad does the same

This is in England, BTW. Takes the bus to the train station every morning, train into London, gets around all day by Tube. Only takes the car out occasionally.

I do it too. I work from home so I'm better off than many but even when I wasn't, bus and trains (and trams in some cities) go everywhere.

[rustydad]

15. Social engineering

The Europeans realized long ago that they had very little oil in their part of the world. They knew that they had to promote conservation. So they taxed oil at a high rate in order to get people to conserve by driving fuel efficient cars, reduced driving, using mass transit, and a host of other infrastructure modifications. These changes allow Europeans to live better lives than Americans, have universal health care, and to so so on half the oil per capita as a US citizen. They realized that some day oil world wide would become scarce and that oil prices would rise until demands were equal to supply. Demand destruction. At that point the increase in prices would go to the oil producing/exporting countries rather than to the importing country. In Europe a big part of the oil bill goes back into their economies. In the US now the increase in oil costs goes out of the country. We are just dumb shmuks. Bob

[kay1864]

16. Great chart, thanks!

Sorry to sound like a noob, but how do you get a table into a post? I've tried simply changing the font to Courier, but that by itself doesn't accomplish the task.

Thanks! :hi:

[islandmkl]

17. i'm not sure how you are SUPPOSED to do it, but the chart was in XLS...

I just highlighted, copied and pasted...the first time all the numbers ran together...so I changed the post to 'text' (one of the choices at the top of the post section...and things seemed to work out...

[Freddie Stubbs]

18. How much are we paying without taxes?

:shrug:

[islandmkl]

19. for reference: I believe this chart uses premium-grade for comparison...

premium is the most stable-'same'-priced of all gas offerings across the board internationally...

this will account for 'some' of the elevated prices...but, again, these are through about 10 days ago...

there are links on the main choices page for with & without taxes, etc...

[Prophet 451]

20. Why leave out taxes?

Granted, it more accuratly reflects the price that oil companies are charging but the consumer at the pump still pays the higher price.

I'm a Brit. Petrol here is about twice the price you pay. Of course, the taxes on that pay for massive public transport as well.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

22. Yes, when I was in the UK last year, I saw 99p per liter

which is about $2.00 for a bit more than a quart.

[liberal N proud]

23. That is the little detail that is left out of those discussions

Most Europeans don't have long drives to get to work or travel across the country.