Careful,  next you'll be talking about collusion.  😇

Technofreak:

 

Careful,  next you'll be talking about collusion.  😇

 

How can a cartel collude?

Handle9:

 

Technofreak:

 

Careful,  next you'll be talking about collusion.  😇

 

 

How can a cartel collude?

 

How can a cartel not collude? 😎

I thought the government was going to sort that out? Or was that just hot air as usual?

Geektastic:

 

I thought the government was going to sort that out? Or was that just hot air as usual?

 

The Govt promised to "fix the fuel market" but haven't said yet what they're going to fix. Based of the badly done Commerce Commission report it's not surprising they don't know.

Maybe they're going to stop petrol being sold below cost? Obviously that will result in petrol prices increasing in some areas.

Geektastic: Funny how prices dropped steadily when few needed to buy. The minute we head back to the commute...kerrrchingggggg

That is typically how prices on anything work, so yeah this is to be expected. We never had it as cheap as Aussie did for some reason tho. I hear that bunnings over there did a good run on 20l cans.

Predictable based on supply and demand (AND/or collusion!).

I've just kept buying. Both vehicles and the boat are brim full.  Quite a bit of diesel in the big tank at home.

It was pretty obvious that Labour promising to fix fuel prices was a distraction the same as National/John Key and the national flag change. Stamping of feet to give the illusion of doing something and most likely to distract people from some other subject. Even if petrol was free to produce, deliver and pump into your car, you'd still be paying about $0.94 per liter in Auckland as that is the cost of the taxes (and the GST on taxes - i.e. GSTT: Goods, Services and Tax Tax). That means the true cost/value(?) of petrol is still under $1 a liter.

https://www.aa.co.nz/cars/owning-a-car/fuel-prices-and-types/petrol/

Edit: Link

sbiddle:

 

Geektastic:

 

I thought the government was going to sort that out? Or was that just hot air as usual?

 

 

The Govt promised to "fix the fuel market" but haven't said yet what they're going to fix. Based of the badly done Commerce Commission report it's not surprising they don't know.

 

Maybe they're going to stop petrol being sold below cost? Obviously that will result in petrol prices increasing in some areas.

 

 

 

Perhaps because they came to realise they were the fly in the ointment. They couldn't come out and say that, could they? Best to drop it quietly and hope no one notices, something they have got quite good at.

...that is to say that the government is in direct control of the the single biggest factor and component of the cost of petrol, so them blaming fuel companies for petrol prices is hypocrisy and a classic scapegoat move.

tripper1000:

 

...that is to say that the government is in direct control of the the single biggest factor and component of the cost of petrol, so them blaming fuel companies for petrol prices is hypocrisy and a classic scapegoat move.

 

The issue I have with the 50% excise or whatever is, if the government removed it, I guarantee prices would drop initially and steadily creep back up to what the market was paying. So we'd be back over $2 per litre without the tax take. Which would need to be found from somewhere else...

Petrol prices at present have around a 50cpl variance between the lowest and highest prices (excluding places such as Waiheke where it is a lot higher) - with the cheapest being around $1.49 in Christchurch when I looked last night.

Somewhere in that range sits a true value of petrol - because some of those high figures are effectively subsidising petrol being sold at those lower prices.

tripper1000:

 

...that is to say that the government is in direct control of the the single biggest factor and component of the cost of petrol, so them blaming fuel companies for petrol prices is hypocrisy and a classic scapegoat move.

 

That isn't the whole story.

I've been waiting for action from the government on their commitment to investigate the high prices in areas where the main retailers have no competition from cheaper providers, e.g. in Wellington. While the report appears to be virtually useless, that does not absolve the politicians from keeping their commitments to deal with behaviours that are collusive and cartel-like, prevent free competition and ultimately hit poor people the hardest.