On Fri, 10 Mar 2000, Rev Simon Rumble wrote:
> > > > Check your facts, Simon. In fact, more than 50% of the cent per litre cost
> > > > of petrol in Australia goe4s direct to the Federal Government - and
> > > > _straight_ into consolodated revenue - where it is used for things like
> > > > health care, paying the dole, politicians salaries etc etc. It's something
> > > > like 50 cents a litre at the moment.
> [snip]
> > That 69 cents per litre is based on a 76 cent per litre PUMP PRICE. The
> > tax equates to about 43 cents per litre at this price. Extrapolate this
> > price to the current 90 cents per litre level, and you get - wow, about
> > 53.75 CENTS PER LITRE in bloody tax.
>
> Your comment was in response to my suggestion that road user-only taxes
> pay for less than 10% of the cost of roads. It had nothing to do with the
> fraction of tax paid at the pump but where it is spent.
>
> ie:
> <-----------------------------cost of roads----------------------------->
> <-paid by car owners-><-----------paid from non-carrelated taxes-------->
Simon, Simon....
1999 petrol sales in Australia total 14000 million litres.
The average petrol price for 1999 was around - let's be generous and say
70 cents per litre.
At 70 cents per litre, the tax revenue gained by various governments would
be around 40 cents per litre. Rough approximation only, you understand.
14 000 000 000 litres by 40 cents per litre figures out to be
5 600 000 000
That's 5 billion, 600 million dollars.
In actual fact, up to the 94/95 financial year, the figures are actually 7
billion, 927 million for the FEDERAL government alone. The state
government adds another 1 billion, 427 million to that total - that's JUST
fuel tax - nothing else {and there's lots else they tax from road users}.
That's a total of 9 billion, 354 million in FUEL tax.
The total road expendature?
For the 94/95 financial year - a grand total of 5 billion 707 million.
{Source - http://www.dot.gov.au/land/road/roadfacts.htm - more recent
figures are not available, however the trend will continue in an upwards
direction}
Looks like a lot more than 10% to me. By the time you add the other taxes
levied by the State and Federal governments on road users {I.E. car and
truck drivers}, you get a total of 12 billion 882 million dollars.
Out of which approximately 44 percent is actually spent on the roads these
taxes ostensibly pay for.
That's 7 billion 175 million dollars into consolodated revenue.
Which, by the way, was exactly what I stated originally - that the
majority of the taxes raised by fuel and road levies pay for things OTHER
than roads.
So much for your 10%, hey?
> > P.S. I'm really sorry guys - but I object to being called a liar -
> > especially by the likes of him.
>
> I didn't call you a liar. I said you were wrong. Still do.
Well gee, looks like I've just gone out and proven you wrong yet again,
Simon. Say I'm wrong all you like - but the _facts_ prove otherwise.
Go download the figures for yourself, since I'm sure you won't believe me.
I provided references in all cases.
I suggest next time you throw out the pithy line "I can't be bothered
looking up the stats now, but that's total bollocks" that you _do_ bother
looking up the facts first.
And this is my absolute last word on the subject - so please, no more
jibes about how I've taken things offline. If you don't believe hard
facts, then nothing else I say will convince you, and I'm not going to
waste bandwidth doing so.
DaZZa
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