Posted on 06/17/2008 10:10:33 AM PDT by CHICAGOFARMER
Angered by soaring fuel prices, Europeans are protesting and taking a toll on consumers and companies by creating food stores shortages, lighting highways in the death of two people in Spain and Portugal.
Amid warnings at the price of oil could sort of perhaps $250 a barrel within 18 months, EU officials plan to meet next week to consider solution to surging food and fuel costs.
Adam McCarthy says he now spends nearly €60, or about $93, to fill up his Volvo, and he expects protests to continue across to Europe as drivers become increasingly frustrated.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_tax#Europe
Germany: Fuel taxes in Germany are €0.6545 per litre for conventional unleaded petrol, plus Value Added Tax (19%) on the fuel itself and the Fuel Tax. That adds up to €1.37 per litre (approximately USD$7.615 per gallon) for unleaded petrol (Sep 2007).
England: Combined tax rate of 117% of the cost of fuel.
Netherlands: The 2007 fuel tax was € 0.684 per litre or $ 3.5 per gallon. On top of that is 19% VAT over the entire fuel price.
Norway: Combined 63% of the fuel price in 2007. In 2008 the socialist/social democratic government of Norway further increased the tax for petrol and diesel.
The government refers to the tax as “environmental tax” on fuels.
Actually, my sister lived in Amsterdam with her Dutch husband for years (and intend to go back to live) and I heard exactly that from her regarding the high taxes and services provided. Of course she’s a liberal. She did get good services when she had both kids and they didn’t need a car. Problems started when the immigrants began to cost them more and now this - I suppose everyone has a breaking point and seems that the gas and all the resulting increases for other things like food are just too much.
“Once again President Bush’s vision out smarts the Euro-socialists as we buddy up with oil rich Iraq...”
Funny, those tankers full of “free” Iraqi oil (or any Iraqi oil for that matter) haven’t made it into the ports around here. Where have you seen them?
Socialism.
I work here in Germany for the US Air Force but pay German taxes. I pay around $8.50 a gallon and every ten days...toss in around $110 for a tank of gas. It was around $85 a year ago. I live in a semi-rural area where there are eight bus run’s a day....and the only possible way I could get over to the base via public transportation would be to get up at 05:15 in the morning and take the 05:40 bus from one block away...ride all the way into town, and then wait for 30 minutes until the train would take me out to the base...so public transportation is a joke.
Every German I know....drives a 4-cylinder vehicle and gets 30 mpg or more. They are all paying an extra $75 a month on groceries now, compared to a year ago. Every truck that transports over the autobahn, now pays a special tax. The rate of inflation now operates even with the garbage truck taxes...which are rumored to be going up next year. The natural gas price? It will jump thirty percent in January. From the normal group of folks who would take a two-week vacation in the summer....I’d say thirty percent have canceled that trip this summer and will be painting the house or just sitting at the neighborhood pool.
The amusing thing is that they buckled down and saved every way possible...like the environmentalists wanted...and now? Theres no way left to save or skip. They have to cut from the pocketbook and are wondering how they can make it off a paycheck that is only 55 percent of what they actually make per month (the rest going to health care, pension, and taxes...to include the 19 percent sales tax). Every single one of these guys now lives in fear of their job going away.
I don’t see any positives in this European environment. Its a lose-lose scenario no matter how you slice it. They always wanted to point downwards on the US...but now its their own way of life in jeopardy.
“Now, I relish a good street fight as much as the next guy, but we don’t need to start kicking muzzie butt for oil, as long as we have PROVEN reserves in the US that could shut down their economic blackmail, immediately.”
Immediately?? Maybe in 5-10 years. I think a few harsh words reminding the OPEC contries of the state of their militaries relative to ours, and the potential for their leaders to suddenly be rendered bankrupt/imprisoned would sink the oil price bact to $60 within a week.
I think the obvious solution is for Europe to focus even more on meeting the Kyoto standards.
Boil away you Socialist pond scum.....
Soon we will be seeing liberals with bumper stickers on their Subarus that read:
"Well, maybe a little blood for oil would be OK."
CAPITAL OF NEW YOUR, ALBANY TO BE SHUT DOWN BY FUEL TAX PROTEST JUNE 19:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2032359/posts
Soros, other mega-rich Western limousine socialists, and mega-rich Islamofacist sympathizers.
He may be dressed in ultra expensive clothes, but he’s a fugly SOB, isn’t he.
WHOA...
I agree and add: If governments won't fix it, civil wars and chaos will force them to!
He looks like the devil.
Ah... The price of dependence... Do we have a sense of entitlement?
he looks like the devil
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