Furious about Fuel
Petrol (that’s gas to you Yanks) is set to tip £1.30 a litre this week. That’s approximately $11.70 USD an imperial gallon in US-speak. Gulp!
As my favourite economist Merryn Somerset Webb wrote this week, each litre of petrol sold in the UK is taxed at a flat tax of 53.65 pence per litre (for US currency, that’s $4.83 USD per gallon) which is one of the highest fuel taxes in the world. On top of that, we also pay VAT (sales tax) of 17.5% when we buy fuel, not just on the cost of the aforesaid fuel but on the tax too. So we pay TAX ON TAX! Of course, we are paying out of income which has already been taxed twice (income tax and national insurance, which isn’t insurance at all, it’s just another tax.) So how many times has my tank of fuel been taxed? Three or four? (I’m losing count.)
In the UK, people are cutting down on car trips, and in rural communities such as ours, people can’t afford to heat their homes. That’s O.K. at the moment because it’s summer, but what happens when winter bites? Last month our village was riddled with thieves stealing heating oil from domestic oil tank stores. People are getting desperate.
Fuel costs are affecting folks all over the world, of course. Everyone is suffering, so we’re not alone. And it’s causing food prices to rise too. Our major supermarket Tesco is rationing rice this week - in the U.K.!?! Astounding. But everyone knows things are getting bad. This is not news. This is reality, and as the saying goes, deal with reality or reality will deal with you.
So what does this have to do with photography? Well, the oil situation probably might not affect many of you yet, but for us personally, like many other U.K. photographers who shoot for fun, we have young to feed and we’re perilously low on dosh. Putting it bluntly, we are self-employed, and we fund Fluffies from our spare cash. We do it 'cos we love it, and we adore making art (or trying to make it anyway.) As it stands today, we have two more shoots booked. After that our photographic reserves run out, and there will be no more new nekkid chix gracing this blog unless some kind laydeez decide to lend their beauty for the higher purpose of creating Art. Failing that, you’re stuck with my ass, I’m afraid (the rest of my body has left the building.)
Oil is predicted to top $200 a barrel by Christmas. As Starbuck from Battlestar Galactica says, “We’re completely fragged. Where’s it going to end?”
More Alexis from a couple of weeks ago.
As my favourite economist Merryn Somerset Webb wrote this week, each litre of petrol sold in the UK is taxed at a flat tax of 53.65 pence per litre (for US currency, that’s $4.83 USD per gallon) which is one of the highest fuel taxes in the world. On top of that, we also pay VAT (sales tax) of 17.5% when we buy fuel, not just on the cost of the aforesaid fuel but on the tax too. So we pay TAX ON TAX! Of course, we are paying out of income which has already been taxed twice (income tax and national insurance, which isn’t insurance at all, it’s just another tax.) So how many times has my tank of fuel been taxed? Three or four? (I’m losing count.)
In the UK, people are cutting down on car trips, and in rural communities such as ours, people can’t afford to heat their homes. That’s O.K. at the moment because it’s summer, but what happens when winter bites? Last month our village was riddled with thieves stealing heating oil from domestic oil tank stores. People are getting desperate.
Fuel costs are affecting folks all over the world, of course. Everyone is suffering, so we’re not alone. And it’s causing food prices to rise too. Our major supermarket Tesco is rationing rice this week - in the U.K.!?! Astounding. But everyone knows things are getting bad. This is not news. This is reality, and as the saying goes, deal with reality or reality will deal with you.
So what does this have to do with photography? Well, the oil situation probably might not affect many of you yet, but for us personally, like many other U.K. photographers who shoot for fun, we have young to feed and we’re perilously low on dosh. Putting it bluntly, we are self-employed, and we fund Fluffies from our spare cash. We do it 'cos we love it, and we adore making art (or trying to make it anyway.) As it stands today, we have two more shoots booked. After that our photographic reserves run out, and there will be no more new nekkid chix gracing this blog unless some kind laydeez decide to lend their beauty for the higher purpose of creating Art. Failing that, you’re stuck with my ass, I’m afraid (the rest of my body has left the building.)
Oil is predicted to top $200 a barrel by Christmas. As Starbuck from Battlestar Galactica says, “We’re completely fragged. Where’s it going to end?”
More Alexis from a couple of weeks ago.
Labels: AlexisSummers, economics, money
posted by Lin at 6:10 PM
5 Comments:
Yes, there are many reports of people here using small cordless drills to poke holes in gas tanks (SUVs and such) to steal gasoline. Stupid, yes. Desperate, yes.
One thing is for sure, this is all a big world-wide scam. Someone is getting away with all of this. And they're going to keep doing it for as long as they can.
just linked you.
thank you
rob
I came across this today and thought I'd share the link.
http://www.ballreviews.com/Forum/Replies.asp?TopicID=187215&ForumID=80&CategoryID=5
The situation is the same here in the United States. The truth is the world fossil fuel supply peaked in the late 1970s and has been on the downhill curve toward depletion ever since. With China now using fuel in record proportions, the depletion likely will occur much earlier than scientists predicted.
When we run out of fossil fuels, not only transportation and heat for homes will be affected. We rely on oil for agriculture and for medical care. It's a grim future if alternative energy is not available. And few politicians here in the U.S. seem at all interested in exploring alternatives.
To put it bluntly, we're screwed.
This is just the overture.
Or since we're screwed, should I say this is just foreplay?
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