From: d.kester@NOSPAMcomcast.net   
      
   I remember when they were protesting all the gas tax over there.  I will say   
   a large part of our gas prices is tax too.  I know it is well over $0.50 per   
   gallon in taxes alone and that is probably nothing near what you pay in tax.   
   You also have a VAT tax or sales tax that is much higher than ours too.  Our   
   sales tax is now at 8% it just went up on April 1.  I was married for a   
   while to a man from the UK.  He lived in Bristol and when we were dating, I   
   would go over to see him and we never had a car to drive, always used the   
   public transit system.  He did not even attempt to get a drivers license   
   until he was immigrating here so we could get married.  I never realized how   
   poor our public transit system was until I was over there.  The trains, the   
   underground, the buses,  it is all wonderful and so easy to use.  I would be   
   more than willing to use public transit if it was available to me.  Where I   
   live (city of about 250,000), we only have the bus system and it is lousy.   
   My daughter will take the bus once in a while when she can't get a ride home   
   from school from one of her classmates.  The school she attends is about 5+   
   miles away, so walking is not really an option when she does not even get   
   out of class until 4:45 pm.   
      
   Take care,   
   Debbie   
      
   "AlanC"  wrote in message   
   news:yCo6e.18721$mV1.13880@fe3.news.blueyonder.co.uk...   
   > Hi Deb   
   >   
   > You're probably right. I live in Sheffield- 4th largest city in the UK   
   > (population about 513,000) and the local bus service is fantastic- I mean   
   > every few minutes most times. And I can get to a big supermarket within a   
   > mile, so I guess I shouldn't complain. It just seems that it keeps on   
   > going   
   > up and up! A large part of the cost of gas is tax, which is a major source   
   > of income from the government. A few years back there were protests about   
   > it, particularly from truck firms and farmers for who fuel costs are their   
   > largest overhead.   
   >   
   > Kind regards,   
   > Alan   
   >   
   > This is well off topic for this newsgroup!!   
   >   
   > "Deb in Northern California"  wrote in message   
   > news:3btmakF6meljuU1@individual.net...   
   >> I realize what gas prices are like in the UK, since I have been there a   
   > few   
   >> times myself.  But I also realize that you have a wonderful public   
   >> transit   
   >> system, that we do not have here, at least where I live there is a   
   >> minimal   
   >> public transit system.  Buses only and they run about every hour or so   
   >> and   
   >> do not travel to where you need to get to easily.  When I was in the UK I   
   >> utilized the public transit and was amazed at how well you could get   
   > around   
   >> there, even in the more remote areas.  Also the shops were close enough   
   >> by   
   >> to walk to if you needed to pick up some things, unlike here where the   
   >> closest market is over a mile away and the one that you would normally   
   > shop   
   >> at is more like 5+ miles away.   
   >>   
   >> Debbie   
   >>   
   >> "AlanC"  wrote in message   
   >> news:Ni86e.69009$Nr5.7390@fe2.news.blueyonder.co.uk...   
   >> > You guys in the States don't know how lucky you are. Here in the UK, we   
   >> > are   
   >> > paying 93 pence for a litre of petrol (gas!!) which works out at  UKP   
   > 4.14   
   >> > per gallon, or about 8 bucks at the current exchange rate.   
   >> >   
   >> > Kind regards,   
   >> > Alan   
   >> >   
   >> >   
   >>   
   >>   
   >   
   >   
      
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