From today's WSJ...
By Drew Johnson, fellow at the Taxpayer Protection Alliance
Crude oil costs make up about 76% of the cost of
gasoline, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Thus $2.66
of a $3.50 gallon of gasoline is set before the oil is even refined.
Refining oil is the next step in the process — and the
next expense for drivers. Gasoline is extracted from crude oil and additives,
including lubricants and detergents to reduce engine deposits, are added. As of
January 2012, the EIA found that refining was responsible for 6% of the cost of
gasoline.
* 76 + 6 = 82. (SO WE'RE UP TO 82%)
Distribution and marketing—the part of the process most
apparent to consumers — constitutes another 6% of gas prices. That portion of
the cost includes the shipping and transportation of the gasoline, a markup to
cover retailers' expenses, and any advertising created to appeal to customers.
* 82 + 6 = (WE'RE NOW UP TO 88%)
The remaining 12% — or almost 50 cents per gallon today —
goes directly to federal, state and local governments in an array of sales and
excise taxes.
* THAT'S 12% OF PURE PROFIT! PROFIT JUST FOR BEING THE
GOVERNMENT! PROFIT FOR DOING NOTHING SAVE HOLD YOUR HAND OUT!
The federal gas tax is 18.4 cents on every gallon of
gasoline sold in America.
* OK... SO THE FEDS MAKE 18.4 CENTS OFF EVERY GALLON OF
GAS SOLD. HOW'S THAT COMPARE TO WHAT THE OIL COMPANIES MAKE... TO WHAT THE
REFINERS MAKES... TO WHAT THE GAS STATIONS MAKE?
State gas-tax rates vary from a low of eight cents per gallon
in Alaska to a jarring 49 cents per gallon in New York.
* SO... IF YOU BUY GAS IN NEW YORK STATE... YOU'RE PAYING
(49 + 18.4) 67.4-CENTS JUST IN DIRECT FEDERAL AND STATE TAXES FOR EVERY GALLON
OF GAS YOU PURCHASE.
Other states where it's steep to fill up include
California and Connecticut — each with 48.6-cent-per-gallon gas taxes — And
Hawaii, at 47.1 cents per gallon.
Some local governments have gotten in on the act, too.
* OH... THIS SHOULD BE GOOD! (READ ON!)
In California, local sales and excise taxes on gasoline
average 3.1%, according to the Los Angeles Times. That works out to about 12
cents in local taxes for each gallon of gas, based on the state's current
average of $3.80 per gallon.
* JEEZUS... SO WE'RE TALKING TAXES OF 18.4-CENTS (FED),
48.6-CENTS (STATE), PLUS 12-CENTS (LOCAL) FOR A GRAND TOTAL OF... .79-CENTS A
GALLON GOING TO TAXES!
Skokie, Ill., a suburb north of Chicago, levies a gas tax
of three cents per gallon.
You'll pay an extra nickel per gallon at gas stations in
Eugene, Ore.
And the next time you're gambling in Las Vegas, you'll
need plenty of cash left over to cover Clark County's 10-cent local tax on a
gallon of gas.
In Florida, Brevard County (home to the Kennedy Space
Center) [and hanging chads] expects to siphon more than $15 million from
motorists this year, according to the newspaper Florida Today.
(*JUST SHAKING MY HEAD*)
Put this all together, and government makes far more from
gas sales than all of the oil companies put together.
* ONE MORE TIME...
Put this all together, and government makes far more from
gas sales than all of the oil companies put together.
* HOW SO...?
Exxon, for example, made only seven cents per gallon of
gasoline in 2011.
* ONE MORE TIME...
Exxon, for example, made only seven cents per gallon of
gasoline in 2011.
That's a drop in the bucket compared to the nearly 50
cents per gallon that federal, state and local governments rake in on an
average gallon of gas pumped in the U.S.
* ON AN AVERAGE... (AS WE'VE SEEN, IT'S FAR HIGHER IN
STATES LIKE NEW YORK AND CALIFORNIA!)
Most people have to drive — whether to work, to the
grocery store, to pick up kids from school or for dozens of other reasons. For
some families struggling to make ends meet, paying 50 cents per gallon in taxes
may be the difference between driving to work and putting dinner on the table.
So the next time you begin to blame oil companies,
speculators or service stations for high gas prices, remember that no one get
richer off of gasoline than government.
* AND, FOLKS... WHILE THE ARTICLE DIDN'T GIVE THE
FIGURES... IF MEMORY SERVES RETAILERS AVERAGE A PROFIT OF ONLY TWO OR THREE
CENTS PER GALLON... AND REFINERS... BELIEVE IT OR NOT MANY HAVE LOST MONEY EVEN
AS RETAIL PRICES HAVE SKYROCKETED.
* OH... AND FOLKS... DON'T FORGET... YOU'RE NOT JUST
PAYING GAS TAXES - MANY OF US ARE ALSO PAYING OUTRAGEOUS TOLLS ($12 CASH TO
CROSS THE GEORGE WASHINGTON BRIDGE FROM NJ INTO NYC) AND THEN OF COURSE GENERAL
GOVERNMENTAL REVENUES (TAXES) ARE ALSO GOING INTO PAYING FOR ROADS.
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