Sydney Petrol Prices

As we all know, fuel prices in Sydney, and for that matter the rest of Australia and the world have been rising steadily, and are now hovering at around $1.40 a litre. I remember the days when it was 40c a litre. Australians traditionally drive large cars, with vehicles such as the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore, and now the Mitsubishi Magna being some of our most popular cars. The distances are large, and big engines drive air conditioning easilly, so needless to say, many Australians are feeling the pinch.

It is probably a case of what we are used to as much as anything else, and personally, I am prepared to fork out a bit more, rather than drive less or get a smaller car. I am considering an LPG conversion at some stage though. Especially if the price gets above $2.00 a litre.

The government is coming under a lot of fire about this issue, and quite rightly so. Even though they claim the price fluctuations are out of their control, they still take a massive percentage of tax (actually two separate taxes). Whichever way they put it, their take increases every time the price of fuel goes up. They will keep the tax on as long as they possibly can, although it seems to be wearing thin now. I believe they will offer some kind of relief when the price of fuel starts to affect other industries.

Many accuse the oil companies of profiteering, and colluding to keep the price up. The pump price in Sydney goes up every Thursday, which happens to be payday for most people, and then down again just before the weekend. At the end of the day, they are maximising their profit as any other company will do. It's just that everyone uses their product, and they have a lot of power and wealth and sway over government. It's not good but it's just the way it is at the moment.