NationStates Jolt Archive

Yes - you CAN get cheap gas!

All you need to do is.... move to Baghdad.

Yes, while you pay through the nose, Achmed Average Iraqi is paying just 5 cents a gallon (http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040605/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_cheap_gas_2)

Now, I'm not going to argue the fact that things like this need to be done to help Iraq get back on it's feet. I just have to wonder how Iraq getting their gas at prices so far below-cost that it might as well be free - how does this dovetail with the original stated plans to defray some of the costs of the war through recouping oil revenues?

In Australia, 50% of petrol price is tax!

Does anyone know how much it is in other major oil producing countries?

*crosses fingers for fuel rise*

Conservative as I am, I think it would be an excellent thing, it would force the free arket to look for to other sources, businesses would switch (some are already planning and everyone would benifit, except the Middle East.

All it would take is a politician with guts not to offset the cost, and not to lower the tax.

Does anyone know how much it is in other major oil producing countries?

I don't know.... I'll see if I can track down other links.

All I could find was this (http://money.howstuffworks.com/gas-price2.htm) which shows prices in 2000 being 76cents per gallon in Kuwait, 82 cents in bahrain, and 92 cents in abu dhabie. That leads me to believe that they pay pretty much market rates for refined gas with no taxes applied - when you factor their lack of need to ship the crude anywhere.

Of course, in Canada we are a net oil exported but still we pay market rates plus taxes that still put us at a bit more than US prices.... which sucks!

-Z-

what alternatives if anything a gradual rise will bring about change prices like we are seeing now will not cause the kind of change you are looking for. the thing is for the time being no viable alternatives to oil-based fuels are available, in the long run we could find other sorces but now there are no viable alternatives. For now high petrol prices are just hurting the economy, oh for a cheap alternative if you own a diesel you can run it off vegatable oil.

That's not necessarily true. Other forms of fuel ARE readily available, it's the technology that isn't. Most of that is due to *cough* oil companies stifling the development of it.

I'm basically indifferent to the prices, though I personally hope they go higher. You might not think so, but higher prices have been changing some folk's actions. More carpooling, spending less at the pump, and making a gallon last longer. The higher prices have stimulated news bits and programs on alternative fuels and internal combustion engine designs. On almost every political section of forums I frequent, there is a thread like this going on. People are definitely talking about this.

Do I think this will change everything for the better? No, but it's taken decades for alternative fuel ideas to come this far, when without the influence of Big Oil it is highly likely we would be further advanced along those lines. For crying out loud, I saw on a PBS show that a married couple (both scientists) invented these tablets the size of your hand that are saturated with hydrogen, and they fuel an engine they redesigned together. Just think if better funded groups were able to focus on this sort of thing?

With more attention on this and even a few more people waking up to better alternatives, hopefully a bit more progress will be made. It doesn't help that (in the US) you can buy whatever kind of vehicle you want without having to think about the consequences. In some countries, you have to have a permit and prove you're actually going to use an SUV or truck for something besides showing off. :)