Gas Prices

Gas prices, for those of you living in caves, have skyrocketed in the last few weeks. Charges of gas gouging have been thrown around. Suppliers counter that supplies are short, and refining capacity is not at full strength.

Part of the "problem" is the taxes we pay per gallon. In California, we pay 60 cents of federal and state taxes on every gallon. My last fill-up was $55.00, and about 18 gallons, meaning I paid around $10.80 in taxes.

New York is the highest at 62.9 cents, and Alaska is the lowest at 26.4 cents. See the table here.


I remember when I began driving, and gas went up to 50 cents per gallon. I thought it was highway robbery. And then there was the "Odd-Even" days of the first Energy Crisis. I had a little yellow Datsun pickup truck at the time, and evidently trucks were exempt at the time.

Still, it is not as bad as Europe. But I still like this photo from a few years ago. Man, $2.279 for regular unleaded. Sure brings you back doesn't it? Yikes!

The last picture is someone who may well be ahead of the curve.