Tuesday, March 1

 

I had to fill up the car yesterday and, for the first time in my life, handed over $86 at the counter.  $86!!!  At 184.9c per litre, that’s about 46 litres so, if I consume about 9 litres per 100Km, that’s around 500 kilometres before I have to fill up again.  We’re going to Deloraine this morning which is about 100 km round trip so 20% of my allocation has gone already.

 

I tried to find out why the cost has gone up so dramatically and there’s some story about our prices being linked to something in Singapore called the Mogas Index and that’s affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  Why?  I’ll bet none of the fuel we use in Australia comes from Russia so why are we being hit?  I heard a commentator say that the Singapore index takes note of what’s happening in other jurisdictions and adjust its rate appropriately.

 

I wonder who benefits from that little lurk.  Not the motorists of Australia, I bet.  No doubt the super-wealthy sheikhs and oil barons of the Middle East are watching world events with a happy grin on their faces.

 

The other thing I discovered is that each litre of fuel sold in Australia is taxed at a rate of 44.2 cents.  Apparently, this is to pay for the costs of roads, etc.  At the moment it’s a tax rate of around 24% of my petrol expenditure.  I notice that it’s a flat rate and not a percentage so is not dependent on fluctuations in prices.  We wouldn’t want the government to be concerned that the flow of tax dollars might be interrupted.

 

We’re supposed to have a progressive tax rate in Australia so that those who earn more contribute more but, where petrol is concerned, I’m taxed at the same rate as Clive Palmer and Gina Rhinehart.  Is that fair?

 

As an aged pensioner, I question whether I’m being treated fairly.  But, it’s the other welfare recipients I really worry about.  The single Jobseeker rate is around $314 per week.  After paying rent and food, how much would be left?  What chance would an unemployed bloke have of finding $84 to fill up his tank, even if he had a car?  It makes me think of what our out-of-touch Federal Treasurer, Joe Hockey said in 2014, that poor people don’t drive cars.  It's a self-fulfilling prophecy, isn’t it?

 

Let’s be serious.  Cars are not a luxury so why tax them as if they were?  You can’t live a normal life in Australia without a car.  Our public transport system is appalling, especially in Tasmania and yet, the government still doesn’t see cars as a necessity.  They need to do better.