Allanv, don't forget we here in the states have separate bills for things like health insurance and all the other things that folks in your country merely rely on government to provide. So you pay equivalent to $7 / gal for gas and your government gets $6.50 of that to help offset it's expenses.
BTW, yes I am claiming 90% of everything anybody pays for gas is tax - that goes for us here in the US as well. I know people in the oil drilling, oil transportation and oil refining businesses and I know what money they and the gas station owners get. Theirs is the smaller part.
Petroleum is taxed for the equipment, it is taxed when it is drilled, it is taxed everytime it moves over land or sea, it is taxed when it is stored, refined, transported again and finally when it is pumped, poured or squirted into your tank. I've probably left out a few taxes like payroll taxes for anybody associated with it etc...
Areas with higher regulations will pay higer gas prices. People actually vote to raise more taxes at the pump in order to supposedly pay for better roads or 'light rail' systems etc.
I have seen ballot measures asking to raise the taxes on gas in order to simply curtail it's use - raise the prices so people wont use as much and then our air/water/lives will be "better".
Now the same people who have voted for these kinds of things are beetching about the high prices!
Ok, there's my rant for the day. Thank you for yor assistance and your forebearance.
BTW I got regular for $1.47 /gal in Port Orchard, WA on Friday - that's about $0.10 less than my local costco in the foothills of the Cascades.