I think $3.95 is a lot for a gallon of gas here on the Vineyard, but I know it's quite a bit more expensive in Europe. Surprisingly, most expensive place to buy gas is Turkey; it is triple the price in the States.
For more information than you want to know about the price of gas around the world, read this.
It has to be remembered that in the UK, gasoline is subject to two separate rates of excise duty - fuel duty and VAT (Value Added Tax). Combined, these average out at around 75% of the cost per Imperial gallon, or liter, as it is now measured. With gasoline presently costing an average of 97p/liter in the UK, removal of the duty leaves a figure of around 24.5p/liter - or, in US gallons (3.78 liters), 93p/gall. In March 2007, US state and federal taxes on gasoline averaged at 46c/US gall, or 12c/liter. In Rhode Island, the tax was 49c/gall, so if the price per gallon at the Vineyard is $3.95, or $1.04/liter, remove the duty, and you are left with 91c/liter, compared to 24.5p/liter in the UK. A simple conversion at present day exchange rates shows Brits paying 50USc/liter for gasoline, compared to 91USc/liter for Vineyard dwellers. So, in reality, who is paying the most for gas? In the UK, it's the government taking its citizens by the throat; in the US, it's the oil companies.
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