Over this side of the pond the price has just gone past $10 a gallon… . I hope this make you guys feel better.
Actually, it doesn't. If
[SIZE=14pt]TAXES[/SIZE] are removed from the equation, I think you'll find that
GAS is less on your side of the pond than on ours...
And even more so if you consider that the minimum wage in the UK is about twice what is here in the states...
I just checked some online gas prices, and they said the overall average in the UK, today, is 111.9 pence per litre. There's 3.78 litres in a gallon, so that equals 423 pence per gallon. So that's 4.23 GBP per gallon.
Now, lets imagine that you are a struggling, 18 year old waiter/waitress making minimum wage. In the UK, you'd be making £5.52, meaning you would need to work for .77 hours to make enough money to buy 1 gallon of fuel. In the US, the minimum wage for a waiter/waitress is $2.13, so you'd be working 1.83 hours to buy that same gallon of gas...
I can understand why someone in that position would be complaining about the price of gas, if you live 10 miles from work, you'd have to work at least a 2 hour shift just to make sure you break even on gas getting to work!
I really feel bad for the delivery drivers these days, I'm sure there are plenty of nights when the tips don't cover the costs of gas. I don't think there is any place left in town that provides fuel for their drivers...