Not that I was attacking you Dr Brown, everyone pays out the ass. But to put it in perspective.
We pay more for everyday stuff, when my mate from LA comes to Sydney he is shocked at how expensive everything is. Not as bad as the UK, but still much more expensive then the states. A small meal at mcdonals (and our meals are smaller then yours in size
) costs $6. That comes down to 2 things
1. Economies of scale, bigger population means larger profit.
2. Your fuel is cheaper.
We do have a much higher income though, but cost of living is up so it kinda cancels out.
My parents have a business and all suppliers are sending letters now saying of price rises etc because of rising fuel costs. Even in China they are feeling the pinch hard and then it costs them more to make us [shizzle].
In 2004 petrol prices were $1.00 per litre. in about a one month period it jumped to 1.30 and it stayed 1.30 until about 2006 when it hit and stayed where it is now at $1.50 a litre. It would be higher but thanks to the [shizzle]ty US economy right now and there the US dollar value so low it kinda hedges against the cost of our fuel. Everywhere around the world it jumped very quickly. In Turkey I know fuel is about $2.4 a litre or so. Europe has it much worse.