Lexx

Power to the people i say .
Got an email from a mate a couple of weeks ago and it basicly comes down to us demanding the cost of fuel as customers, and not just being told what to pay by the oil companies.
It goes like this,
Boycot all BP and Esso garages for 6 months.
If everyone tells 10 people about this then this time next week 3 million people will be doing it.
BP and Esso then have to drop prices to get custom back.
And hey presto all fuel prices drop!
Any thoughts if this might work?
Lexx.

warrenm2

sial - twice over

fq400

why dont we all stage a protest?

every car forum gets togther and we all drive down to NO.10

we can block the m6 and all sorts.

SirFozzalot

3rd time this week

Same reply as before....

Basically.....

i) Forecourt sales are a relatively small portion of income compared to other products such as aviation fuel etc.

ii) Refineries supply fuel for all garages in local area inc. Tesco, Sainsburys etc.

iii) Such a small proportion of the fuel sales goes to the Oil comapanies! 75% of fuel costs is tax! The government are the ones who need to lower the tax not the oil companies!

Therefore I don't think it will work.........unfortunatley.

StickyMicky

STFU about bringing prices down FFS!!

davedipster

It's funny how the government does not apply any taxes to aviation fuel.
That's why short haul flights within the UK are cheaper than driving, coaches or trains.
But short haul flights within the UK are an environmental disaster, just look at the CO2 per person on a UK internal flight!
Your efforts should be aimed at government not the oil companies.

dipster.

Moray

Isnt it every £10 spent on petrol £8 goes to tax and £2 to oil company !

voddie

He does have a point guys, even if he is blaming the wrong people The prices are becoming ridiculous to say the least. Get rid of Labour I say

Oh and StickyMickey your input on the subject was about as useful as a stapled condom....

AVI-8

I agree, a few years ago they tried a fuel tax increase in the U.S.
There was a public outcry and realising this was a vote loser the increase was either reduced or scrapped.

People in the U.K. myself included accept what this goddamn government throw at us.

I believe that the only way fuel prices in the U.K. could be drastically reduced is if lots of people write to their MP's telling them that they are not going to vote for them again because they are fed up of being bent over and given a right royal government shafting every time they fill their tank up with petrol.

And as Scooby owners we all know about petrol pumps right ?

MattW

Maybe so, but this is at least the third time this week it has been posted, add that to the feckin hundreds of times last time fuel was deemed expensive, and you get a bit tired of it.

JTaylor

What I find frustrating is it could actually be done. Several things get in the way.

a) Who would lead the operation?

b) Would the initial followers bottle it when things got a bit hairy?

and finally the major one,

c) You'd never gain agreement from the non-petrolheads / industry folk. If I asked my missus, mum, Dave next door or Bryan at the chippy to actively protest against the extortionate fuel tax, they'd look at me like a complete idiot. This is made even more difficult given that they do this already.

I'd recommend an e-mail campaign by the Motoring Forum Community. If tweaky can get enough publicty for a fast approaching 300,000 hits, I'm sure fellow petrol heads wouldn't mind pressing "send" with a generic letter attached. If it got big enough the tabloids would become interested, et voila, the general public start chattering.

Anyone fancy a go at an appropriate letter?

Lexx

Thanks in the most part for your replies.

If i spent all day every day on this site i would consider myself a little sad and lonely, fortunately for me i have a life, and a scooby to drive!
Do you really think i would have bothered if i'd seen this several times already?
FFS if you aint interested in the thread F OFF and write your own!

I like the idea of letters to my MP though! I haven't bombarded him with post since he tried to allow an erection outside my house! (It was of course a mobile telecoms mast.)

I do believe though, if done at a national level, that boycotting of specific garages will bring prices down. I do however see the bigger picture, and know forcourt sales may not destroy the oil companies. But those boycotted garages will then lobby government for us to reduce the tax and therefore the prices!! Think about it... that's all i'm asking.

If you've seen all this or something similar before, sorry... get on with your life be happy and keep waving!!

Lexx

Ah ha JTaylor could be on to something?...

StickyMicky

not my fault if you were a mistake by your parents you n00b

TelBoy

Sounds about right for the average MP


Filth

imlach

No it won't. When did you last see an Asda oilrig or a Tesco oil refinery? Exactly. It won't hurt the oil companies at all. A lot of forecourts are now also franchises, so you'd be punishing a non-oil company employee/business.

Again (for the millionth time on here!), fuel duty is FIXED. It's 48p per litre. The goverment are not to blame for the recent increases. Blame the speculators dealing in crude futures on the exchanges in New York & London.

Finally, the only TRULY effective way to hit the oil companies is to not purchase fuel at all....supply & demand and all that....basic economics......oh, maybe you can't cope with that one eh?

Reality

Dont forget the VAT - which is added as a percentage of the total cost - higher cost = more tax .

ps and the VAT is added to the duty - a kind of Tax on Tax - which is nice

imlach

Of course. You'll note I was talking about fuel duty though, not VAT.
Even with the recent 10p increase in petrol, vat is of course, only 1.75p of that...hardly wallet shattering stuff.

Reality

No - but I think the VAT, Duty and "VAT on Duty" move your 48p per litre up to something like 70p per litre. Which is a better guide to the Tax burden of fuel in this country. So 70p a litre for something that costs 20p is a little steep.

ps You talking about fuel duty when everyone else is talking about fuel tax makes you sound like Tony **** face or Gordon send all our money to Africa !

ps Personally I couldn't give a **** what the tax is on fuel - when it gets too pricey I'm stopping work and going on the dole - it's becoming the best way to get on in Tony's britain.

imlach

Anyway, the same rule applies to tobacco, alcohol, etc, and no-one seems to be jumping up & down with their knickers in a twist about that....

The issue here is that if petrol has gone up 10p/litre in the last month, everyone is blaming the goverment....when in fact, only 1.75p of that rise is going to the goverment....the other 8.25p is going to the oil company....so.....the simple answer is :

Stop buying fuel. It's the only way you'll hit both producer & taxman

imlach

Do you realise the manufcaturing cost of a single cigarette? Not even 1p. Or the manufacturing cost of a pint of beer? Tiny.

Reality

You'll hit the producer - Tony/Gogsie would up some other tax - as you explained before

Reality

I don't need **** or Beer to get me to work (although the beer would definately help sometimes).

imlach

In the long term, yes they would....but in the short term, I think they'd react to full loss of fuel duty quite positively!! It'd leave a major hole which would be hard to fill in the short term.