Saturn Simon wrote:About 75% of what we pay in the UK at the pumps is tax.
One way to see it. Another way is this:
Your salary is £1000. Your employer has to pay 20% social fees = £200. You pay income tax 25% of £1000 = £250. You have £750 in your pocket and buy gas for it. In the price £750 is 75% tax = £562. Probably you left out the VAT which 20(?)%? 20% VAT of 750 = £125
In other words, if you earn salary £1000, and buy gas for all of it, different taxes and payments to the wonderful democratic system is:
200+250+562+125 = £1137, or 113.7%! And people wonder why they have problems is Greece and Portugal ...
EDIT: Before the accountants on the forum protest, it should be mentioned that your salary is actually 1200£, but your employer says it's £1000, and that what it says on your pay slip. So you earn 1200£, and buy gas for all of it worth £187! We also have to remember that the £187 includes profit for the oil company, of which it pays taxes aprox 30% ...