Wasn't gloating. Just showing that prices aren't silly everywhere.
So maybe his argument was flawed.
Have a cool one
What argument? Just saying that on my travels prices have gone up in the places I've visited.
I've no idea why fuel is cheaper in your part of the World, perhaps you can make yourself useful, do some research and tell us why.
Low prices may be linked to low wages.
The average monthly salary in the Canary Islands, in gross terms, rose by 1.4% in 2020 to 1,775 euros, the highest it has ever been at, even though it is the second lowest in Spain, according to data prepared by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) based on data from the Labour Force Survey.
Doubt is not a pleasant condition.
But certainty is an absurd one.
Voltaire
Count Steer wrote: ↑Wed Jul 20, 2022 10:20 pm
Low prices may be linked to low wages.
The average monthly salary in the Canary Islands, in gross terms, rose by 1.4% in 2020 to 1,775 euros, the highest it has ever been at, even though it is the second lowest in Spain, according to data prepared by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) based on data from the Labour Force Survey.
Just Googling, the price seems to be 1.46 with a 20 cent a litre discount from the government.
Count Steer wrote: ↑Wed Jul 20, 2022 10:20 pm
Low prices may be linked to low wages.
The average monthly salary in the Canary Islands, in gross terms, rose by 1.4% in 2020 to 1,775 euros, the highest it has ever been at, even though it is the second lowest in Spain, according to data prepared by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) based on data from the Labour Force Survey.
Just Googling, the price seems to be 1.46 with a 20 cent a litre discount from the government.
Still doesn't explain why it's 40 cents a litre cheaper than the mainland. I can't see low wages having an effect.
They are an autonomous community and have their own parliament (and send representatives to the Spanish parliament) and a degree of control over spending etc. I assumed, if the people are poor, high petrol prices won't get folk elected to the regional Parliament. Hmmm...wonder what petrol prices are in the Basque region?
(The more I read about it the more I wondered how Spain has managed to stay in one piece....it's like a set of federated states cobbled together politically after the civil war, so there's probably a lot of fiscal compromising going on).
Doubt is not a pleasant condition.
But certainty is an absurd one.
Voltaire
Count Steer wrote: ↑Wed Jul 20, 2022 10:20 pm
Low prices may be linked to low wages.
The average monthly salary in the Canary Islands, in gross terms, rose by 1.4% in 2020 to 1,775 euros, the highest it has ever been at, even though it is the second lowest in Spain, according to data prepared by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) based on data from the Labour Force Survey.
Just Googling, the price seems to be 1.46 with a 20 cent a litre discount from the government.
Still doesn't explain why it's 40 cents a litre cheaper than the mainland. I can't see low wages having an effect.
They are an autonomous community and have their own parliament (and send representatives to the Spanish parliament) and a degree of control over spending etc. I assumed, if the people are poor, high petrol prices won't get folk elected to the regional Parliament. Hmmm...wonder what petrol prices are in the Basque region?
(The more I read about it the more I wondered how Spain has managed to stay in one piece....it's like a set of federated states cobbled together politically after the civil war, so there's probably a lot of fiscal compromising going on).
€2.13 for diesel a few weeks ago, hovering just under €2 now. In Biarritz and surrounding areas, which many regard as Basque country !?
Count Steer wrote: ↑Wed Jul 20, 2022 10:20 pm
Low prices may be linked to low wages.
The average monthly salary in the Canary Islands, in gross terms, rose by 1.4% in 2020 to 1,775 euros, the highest it has ever been at, even though it is the second lowest in Spain, according to data prepared by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) based on data from the Labour Force Survey.
Just Googling, the price seems to be 1.46 with a 20 cent a litre discount from the government.
Still doesn't explain why it's 40 cents a litre cheaper than the mainland. I can't see low wages having an effect.
They are an autonomous community and have their own parliament (and send representatives to the Spanish parliament) and a degree of control over spending etc. I assumed, if the people are poor, high petrol prices won't get folk elected to the regional Parliament. Hmmm...wonder what petrol prices are in the Basque region?
(The more I read about it the more I wondered how Spain has managed to stay in one piece....it's like a set of federated states cobbled together politically after the civil war, so there's probably a lot of fiscal compromising going on).
Very good point. It seems they can set their own fuel duty which would explain a lower price than the mainland.
I'm still trying to get my head around how Spain manages to work, but I've really only started living here this week. There does seem to be a strong sense of national unity which is probably what keeps it going. I think there's a similarity with Scotland and the rest of the UK. Once people start agitating for independance they'll pick up the believers and the thing gathers momentum. I can see it with Sturgeon, the Basques seem to have a similar thing although I have very little knowledge of their plight.
Still doesn't explain why it's 40 cents a litre cheaper than the mainland. I can't see low wages having an effect.
They are an autonomous community and have their own parliament (and send representatives to the Spanish parliament) and a degree of control over spending etc. I assumed, if the people are poor, high petrol prices won't get folk elected to the regional Parliament. Hmmm...wonder what petrol prices are in the Basque region?
(The more I read about it the more I wondered how Spain has managed to stay in one piece....it's like a set of federated states cobbled together politically after the civil war, so there's probably a lot of fiscal compromising going on).
€2.13 for diesel a few weeks ago, hovering just under €2 now. In Biarritz and surrounding areas, which many regard as Basque country !?
Yes, French Basque....lots of interesting place spellings and pelota courts. As you'll know from trips across the border though you can get quite a change in ambience and apparent wealth as you cross.
Doubt is not a pleasant condition.
But certainty is an absurd one.
Voltaire
"The Government is cutting fuel duty for petrol and diesel by 5 pence per litre across the whole of the UK for 12 months, taking effect from 6pm on the 23rd March 2022."
So they cut 5 pence per litre for 12 months since march 2022 but the price is the highest it's almost ever been and the profits of the oil companies are pretty much the highest they have been for some time. They are total saints, i'm so deluded!
Greenman wrote: ↑Thu Jul 21, 2022 8:22 am
the profits of the oil companies are pretty much the highest they have been for some time. They are total saints, i'm so deluded!
In the company you work for, do you not try to maximise your profits ?
Greenman wrote: ↑Thu Jul 21, 2022 8:22 am
the profits of the oil companies are pretty much the highest they have been for some time. They are total saints, i'm so deluded!
In the company you work for, do you not try to maximise your profits ?
No, not really, we are ethical, we pass the savings onto the clients, but this isn't about me!
Greenman wrote: ↑Thu Jul 21, 2022 8:22 am
the profits of the oil companies are pretty much the highest they have been for some time. They are total saints, i'm so deluded!
In the company you work for, do you not try to maximise your profits ?
No, not really, we are ethical, we pass the savings onto the clients, but this isn't about me!
Then you are quite unusual as the main purpose of a business is to make money. Otherwise, well, why would most people do it ?
The amounts of profit of course could be open to debate here... or the size that corporates are allowed to reach... but who draws the line and where ?
Count Steer wrote: ↑Thu Jul 21, 2022 9:01 am
Profits pay dividends which are what pension funds are built on....no profits, no pensions. Maybe Greeny thinks pensions are 'unethical'.
But there needs to be a limit on the profits.
I'm aware that companies need to make profit, what would be the point if they don't, my point here is the oil companies are making record profits whilst telling us the price of oil is at a high, so why are they making more profit now than they we're when oil was cheaper!
It's all a con, they could sell to us at massively lower costs whilst still making massive profits. Again, my point is that they are just greedy and just use excuses like the oil price to hike up prices to increase their profits even more!
Count Steer wrote: ↑Thu Jul 21, 2022 9:01 am
Profits pay dividends which are what pension funds are built on....no profits, no pensions. Maybe Greeny thinks pensions are 'unethical'.
But there needs to be a limit on the profits.
Just for oil companies ? or all companies ? What's the limit ? How's it decided ?
What if a small business takes off, i know for example the people who own Rude Health, they started making cereal on the dining room table... they sold 10% of the company to Coca-Cola for £15m... After starting with £2000 and a dining table...
Should that be allowed then using the logic ? If not.... then what's the point in ever starting a business ?
TBF the oil companies got hit with a windfall tax didn't they? Windfall taxes being the one off unexpected tax on big profit. "You're making too much money, we'll have some of that".
How many other businesses get taxed arbitrarily on top of the other taxes on their profit?
Count Steer wrote: ↑Thu Jul 21, 2022 9:01 am
Profits pay dividends which are what pension funds are built on....no profits, no pensions. Maybe Greeny thinks pensions are 'unethical'.
But there needs to be a limit on the profits.
I'm aware that companies need to make profit, what would be the point if they don't, my point here is the oil companies are making record profits whilst telling us the price of oil is at a high, so why are they making more profit now than they we're when oil was cheaper!
It's all a con, they could sell to us at massively lower costs whilst still making massive profits. Again, my point is that they are just greedy and just use excuses like the oil price to hike up prices to increase their profits even more!
Right now, they need to invest massively if they're going to transform and move away from hydrocarbons and/or develop carbon capture and storage etc etc. (Or just call it a day and give up). If they were just coining it and shoving more and more into dividends (or owners pockets) and the share prices were rocketing I might agree with you but the Big Oil companies aren't. Some of the upstream exploration and production (often foreign) companies that the government handed our oil and gas fields to might be. Some of the refining companies and petrochemical companies (Ineos?) might be. Some of the downstream retail operations might be.
I'd suggest that the whole regulation and operation of the hydrocarbon industry needs looking at rather than just hitting the few big outfits like BP and Shell with a big financial stick.
Doubt is not a pleasant condition.
But certainty is an absurd one.
Voltaire
cheb wrote: ↑Thu Jul 21, 2022 9:59 am
Most other business aren't ruthless enough to kill those who invent or develop technologies that threaten their position.
Look at what happened to the man who invented the water powered car, Stanley Meyer RIP.