B Manawatu Car Club Inc MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2018 Something for Everyone Page 1 of 36 … EDITORSPEAK… Email Trevor at
[email protected] The price of petrol has become a bit of a talking point on the Awhitu Peninsula, given that we choose to live 40 something kms from the nearest town and have no access to public transport, the net result being that everyone has to travel everywhere by car (only because tractors are just too slow!!). If you think about it rationally though, is it really that expensive?? By comparison with historical NZ pricing, yes, the cost is at an all-time high. However, consider this. That litre of 91 octane that you have just put into your tank has had to have been pumped from the ground, shipped halfway around the world, refined, distributed, retailed and subject to taxation. The government takes too much in taxes I hear you cry. Would it surprise you to find out that NZ enjoys the 6th lowest fuel tax in the world?? It still accounts for a large component of the cost at the pump, however let’s take a look at the current breakdown of excise per litre - in round figures 63 cents heads off to the Land Transport Fund (for new roading infrastructure, roading maintenance, public transport, walking and cycling options), 6c goes to the ACC Motor Vehicle account, 0.3c is a fuel monitoring charge, 0.7c is the Local Authorities fuel tax, 6.0c to the Emissions Trading Scheme, roughly 33c is the GST component and, lucky me, the Auckland Regional fuel tax adds a further 10c.