Imagine that! From the Christian Science Monitor…
London – Trucks blocking a main London highway, fishermen blockading French ports, Dutch drivers petitioning parliament, Spanish and Italian fishermen voting to strike – Europeans are becoming restless at relentlessly high energy costs.
I feel sure the French will find a way to have the most outrageous protests.
Tax relief. European drivers pay the highest gas taxes in the world. In Britain, tax accounts for around 65 percent of the pump price for diesel, which recently topped 130 pence a liter or $9.88 per gallon.
Hey, that’s a LOT of tax.
“Within a matter of weeks we could see a large number of British haulage companies go bankrupt,” warns Peter Carroll, a truck-business owner whose fuel bill has jumped almost 50 percent since October. “There should be a rebate for essential users. It already applies to bus companies. It would cost money in the short term, but it will keep alive an industry.”
Why will they go bankrupt? Seems like they would raise their prices or add a fuel surcharge. Perhaps there are price controls or their larger competition hedged the cost of fuel? I suppose deeper pocket corporations could keep their prices down driving their competition out of business, but that would also require they have the resources to take over the competitions business.
There are no easy answers, but failure to act will likely unleash more angry protests. French fishermen shot flares Thursday at police while farmers blocked oil terminals. In Britain, Mr. Carroll says truck drivers are ready to block refineries, causing gas shortages. “I’m committed to lawful protest, but some firms don’t see the wider picture and we’ll be going back to 2000 when you saw people outside oil refineries.”
Of course, everyone wants the government to “do something”.
