Gas Station Told to Raise Prices

A gas station in Wisconsin was trying to help out the community by giving discounts to senior citizens and people supporting local sports. The state then swoops in and tells the gas station owner that they're going to get sued if they don't raise their prices??? Our gas prices are way too high as it is. How can they tell him he can't help out the little old lady down the street? Seems that the state is falsly inflating gas prices just so they can get their immensely huge cut of taxes. Whatever happened to free trade?

This article just made me so angry! Article source

I remember seeing on the Daily show months back where some person who owned a gas station actually had his station closed down and assets carted off because he refused to comply and raise his prices! I guess they you can do whatever you want when you pay the people in power billions of dollars.

That just seems wrong. Why is the sale of gas considered any different than selling anything else? Why is the government able to control prices on that?

Its probably becasue the city/state neede to be sure it was maximizing its profits from the countless taxes it charges per gallon. If the taxes are based on a percentage than lowering the price per gallon would hamper the citys/states profit taking. Im sure they love the higher prices just as much as we hate them. Otherwise theyd help us out a little bit by, oh I dont know, offering to pass on one or two of the taxes for the Summer. But nope. Push all the blame on the evil oil companies and ignore that half of the cost is because of the government. Why should the government take a profit cut when they can force the companies to take a profit cut?

IF you do not want to play by the rules, then get out of the business. Energy is a sensitive issue.

If an individual gas station decides to change the price of it gasoline, this may give an impression to the customer that they are being gouged, and in the energy business, every penny you spend is scrutinized.

This twisted government is just making me so mad. To top it off, our weasel of a governor is trying to pass a 5 cent/gallon tax increase on our gas. He campaigned that he wasn't going to be raising taxes since our state is already such a tax hell, and now he's trying to pass 14 different tax increases off on us. What a loser.

What can we do to stop the madness? I've called my respresentative about it, but I never feel like they listen to us anyway.

Originally posted by thisguyrighthere
Why should the government take a profit cut when they can force the companies to take a profit cut?

It can be done by the states….

The Texas House members approved (118-16) a measure to would repeal the state tax on gasoline sales for the summer months providing 20 cents per gallon reduction in retail price. The measure is currently headed for the state senate and is reported as expected to pass with the 2/3 needed to become effective immediately with the signature of the Governor. The house appropriated funds from the general fund surplus to cover the cost of repealing the tax, estimated between US$500-700 million in revenue for the duration. Perhaps other states may follow.

At 20 cents a gallon state tax, federal tax at 18.4 cents a gallon and local taxes falling in a very large range…the 5.9 to 10 cents a gallon of profit to the oil companies is minimal by comparison…a better question would be: What is the government doing with their 4-8x revenue from gasoline sales?

mg

Unfair sales prices?!?!
Restricting everyone to be at a certain price is a rediculous notion.

Any of you ever read Atlas Shrugged? Remember how the States were told that no-one can outproduce or undersell another company, essentially restricting competition? In the book, it's what destroyed the economy.

I can see similarities between that and the current situation.

Competition is what makes the economy strong. It eliminates those companies who cannot compete, and brings prices down to a feasable level.
Eliminating it is a very stupid idea.

Something just smacks of bribes and big oil lobbiests to me. I can't see any other reason for such fixed pricing.

Well I was watching Canadian news today and there was a fuel economist who is convinced Canadian gas prices are .15 more per gallon then it should be. He also said that hurricane Katrina gave oil companies the the impression that people will pay whatever they charge and he was calling on all Canadians to complain about it in hopes to get a better deal for the people.

Tell me this...why doesn't the government impose price levels on the big oil companies to keep prices down rather than pick on the little gas stations? This government is so screwed up.

Originally posted by closettrekkie
That just seems wrong. Why is the sale of gas considered any different than selling anything else? Why is the government able to control prices on that?

Seems a lot like the price enforcement system employed during World War II to curb inflation while everyone was printing more money to fund the war effort.

Of course then the greatest problem was with people overcharging not undercharging.

I guess this is a case of enforcing the value of a commodity we're at war to obtain and protect.

Originally posted by colourinthemeaning

Originally posted by closettrekkie
That just seems wrong. Why is the sale of gas considered any different than selling anything else? Why is the government able to control prices on that?

Seems a lot like the price enforcement system employed during World War II to curb inflation while everyone was printing more money to fund the war effort.

Of course then the greatest problem was with people overcharging not undercharging.

I guess this is a case of enforcing the value of a commodity we're at war to obtain and protect.

Well in Canada we are not at war to protect oil and I guess it will always be good for the rich corporations to make as much money and gauge as many prices but when someone tried to discount people during times of economic rough times they get punished, that sure seems fair to me?

A friends wife manages several convenience stores that sell gasoline. Over dinner one night she explained why there is a minimum price for selling gas.


Because some retailers would sell gas below cost if the law allowed it. They don't make money on gas, they lose. They make money selling the stuff in the store, or service in the repair shop.

Even with that minimum it does not cover the costs of the pumps and maintenance.

The law is there, and here in Florida and all other states in various versions to stop one store from driving another out of business because it will happen without these laws.


Then the remaining stores would jack the prices way up, seeing how they no longer had all the competition.

Originally posted by etotheitheta
If an individual gas station decides to change the price of it gasoline, this may give an impression to the customer that they are being gouged, and in the energy business, every penny you spend is scrutinized.

I worked in energy for many years. I have never seen such a waste of money. It was ridiculous. Corporate bloat.

Recently I talked to a man building a pad for an operator of a gas field out near where I live. They payed 1/2 million dollars just to have someone level some trees and ground and then put down some reuseable pads to set a drilling rig up. Someone is making a killing. Took a whole 4 or 5 days. Guess there were a few truckloads of gravel also.

Don't forget the salaries the guys at the top of the heap make. 10 to 30 million dollars for the big oil companies.

you want to know how to make gas prices go down make the big oil companies build new refineries update old ones and run them at capacityusing oil profits not price increases to pay for it. also keep all the oil that comes out of our ground for am erican use only. if you do these things gas at the pump should be cheaper

originally posted by: closettrekkie
A gas station in Wisconsin was trying to help out the community by giving discounts to senior citizens and people supporting local sports. The state then swoops in and tells the gas station owner that they're going to get sued if they don't raise their prices??? Our gas prices are way too high as it is. How can they tell him he can't help out the little old lady down the street? Seems that the state is falsly inflating gas prices just so they can get their immensely huge cut of taxes. Whatever happened to free trade?

This article just made me so angry! Article source

11.5.2022 Update

Democrats are still at it today. Gasoline Prices across America are significantly higher, in an effort to get people to buy electric cars, take buses, ride bicycles, etc., in order to SAVE THE PLANET.

The same people who whine about corporations making to much money, are behind generating record profits for them.

GO FIGURE...

What happened to free market capatalism?
Any seller of goods has the right to choose the price they charge. The consumer has the right to pay those prices or shop elsewhere.

originally posted by: 11SK1180
What happened to free market capatalism?
Any seller of goods has the right to choose the price they charge. The consumer has the right to pay those prices or shop elsewhere.

America has a mixed economy, not pure capitalist so the government regulates it all the time. besides that just arbitrarily lowering prices of a product below market prices is unfair and undercuts competition, so others would also be forced to lower prices thus cutting into the profits of the supplier, so its not very capitalist to lower prices all by yourself, its exploitation and the company will sue you for it for violating your contract.

I'm just amused by the number of threads that have been seriously necro'd by Care so they can be sure to update us on something tangentially related to the OP from *counts on fingers* 15 years ago.