There are other taxes that make fuel pale into insignificance. I was told that in Holland, there is a 100% tax on the price of a new car. I haven't looked into this, but I'm told that car companies have to price their cars to allow for the tax and make their products affordable to the motoring public. The tax is not payable by people from other EU states, which explains why many UK car buyers import their vehicles from Holland. Denmark is another example - a few years ago it was possible to buy a Renault Laguna for about
half the price it would cost in some other EU states.
Rip - your table shows gasoline prices, but in most EU states, diesels are hugely popular, and diesel fuel costs about ¾ of what gasoline costs. In Austria and Italy, diesels account for ~60% of all cars sold.
As for tax on mobility, some US states (eg. California) charge a
swingeing amount of money just to register your new car, based on its purchase price - amongst other factors. I just visited the California Department of Motor Vehicles website at
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/dmv.htm and ran a calculation to find out how much it would cost to register a brand new $30,000 gasoline powered car in a town like Richmond, not too far from Dixon!
Holy tax on mobility! I knew it was high, but I never knew it was this high. $2734?
I shall never complain about my £120 annual tax disc fee ever again!
Sheesh, $2734 would be enough for two years worth of fuel for most motorists in Britain - even at UK prices. That's about what I spend in a year at current prices, and I do ~20,000 miles annually.
