Looks like I'm not the only one concerned about the outrageous scam at the pumps these day. It made the cover of Macleans. 136.2 for regular. What a joke. How about adding all the Surrey and Vancouver gas taxes making it 143.9 in Surrey while it's 128.9 in Abbotsford.
Last year there was talk about governement intervention into this scam. This year not a word. We keep getting scammed and shafted and as long as the Oil companies keep throwing the politician tax deductible campaign contributions, not a word is said on the matter.
But...the greatest amount of the gas price is NOT one of your favourite capitalist conspiracies, it's, of course, as surely you must know, the TAX on the gas; from all the different Gov't.'s ripping you off! Why do they need to tax you so very heavily, you might be asking. Why not do something about it; write your MLA; encourage everyone to support the Party that will tax you the least on gasoline? It's actually something you can do something about!
ReplyDeleteBTW, I do happen to know how gas is priced and it's no conspiracy! From my close relative, who spent 25 years near the top of Shell BC; and the policy is this; "Shell charges what the market will bear." Un-quote. It's that simple.
The gas tax does explain the difference in price between Surrey and Abbotsford. Yet we are totally getting shafted by the price of gas because of the large oil companies monopoly. They charge what they want, when they want and they buy any politician they want to let them continue to do so regardless of the public interest.
ReplyDelete"Shell charges what the market will bear." That means that once the oil companies attain their monopoly they will keep raising their prices as much as they want because there are no checks and balances built into the system. When the big oil companies buy out all the small companies, that is not a free market.
If you only knew how much the Majors (Oil Co's.) hate each other...They would happily blow up the offices of their hated enemies, if only it was legal. We were once in the Burnaby mansion (since turned into a very nice Deer Lake restaurant) of the Head of Chevron here, my relative, even after all those decades gone, still surprised me by saying, "I drove that bastard out of BC!" They'd kill each other for sure...
ReplyDeleteThe only reasons local prices suddenly all get higher, are local and tactical. Every gas station owner watches all the other local, even regional gas-stations. When their little spies tell them someone had the stones to raise prices, he'll follow instantly, and so it goes. As for "What the market will bear."; of course, all they cared about @ Shell BC, was raking in as much dough as they can rip from your wallet, for sure, and they at least are open about saying so, while the Gov't. happily puts all the blame on those big bad Oil Co's.
I do blame the big bad oil companies that are not only ripping us off, but wage war for oil. The monopolies all stated with the Rockefellers and Standard Oil. Government gas taxes don't help but the oil monopolies are a huge concern as well.
ReplyDeleteConfidential report warns pine beetle set to destroy B.C. forestry jobs.
ReplyDelete"The full, devastating impact of the pine-beetle epidemic that has swept across British Columbia will be felt in the next few years when up to half the forest-industry jobs in the province’s interior will vanish, according to a government report meant to be confidential."
"And as the timber supply dwindles, forestry jobs in the B.C. interior will melt away. The current 22,890 jobs across the region could fall to just 10,808 within a few years, a stunning decline of 52 per cent. Prince George alone could lose more than 6,500 jobs."
http://tinyurl.com/cbazjvl (G&M)
This is terrifying, and the foolish Lower Mainland immigrants who think Gov't. monies just happen, are quickly going to find out what pays for the roads and hospitals and schools and Police/Fire here. PG. cannot exist, if seven thousand jobs there vanish, it will be another ghost town; get ready for it.
PS:
If you only knew how difficult it is, to log in, and somehow make comments here, I've NEVER seen a blog that forces readers into conniptions of hard computer work just to comment! Just this post took fifteen solid minutes of playing with the computer settings.
"foolish Lower Mainland immigrants"? What on earth does that have to do with anything? You're still having problems posting comments? I thought once you were registered it was no problem. The typing in letters requirement just reduces the spam which still gets through, I just don't approve it. I'm not aware of any other glitches. Sounds like there are a few.
ReplyDelete