The price of crude oil is now at a 12 month low — a six month decrease of 16 per cent. The $AUS has only decreased 10 per cent at the same time — petrol prices should be much lower than the $1.54.9 demanded by Hastings fuel retailers.
Gold Cost and Sydney prices have been as low as $1.32.9 in the past week — prices might also cycle higher, yet motorists at least have an opportunity to buy at the lower rate.
How is it that Woolworths and Coles are prepared to offer grocery items at the same price across the state yet, when it comes to fuel, they slug the Mid-North Coast motorists to subsidise the city mob
All the talk about imposing a Pacific Highway toll to pay for dual carriage-way completion by 2016 ignores the fact that the Federal Government collects $0.38 for every litre of fuel each year, then imposes an additional GST on the excise and the retail component.
$2.3 billion is collected each year by the Gillard Government from the fuel excise in NSW alone and an additional $700 million from the GST! The NSW mob also reap millions from vehicle registration (road tax) and licences.
Do the sums, we have already paid for the Pacific Highway completion many times over.
T Minahan
via email
