Hello and welcome to the July issue of the MotorMouth Newsletter.

Due to the high fuel prices we have been experiencing over the past few months, many users have written in to MotorMouth asking about Australian fuel taxes and the effect taxes have on our fuel prices.

This month we look at how much tax we pay per litre of fuel and how Australia compares to other Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) nations.

Excise rates on Petroleum Products 2002-2003 Financial Year
Product	Tax Rate ($/litre)
Leaded Petrol	0.40516
Unleaded Petrol	0.38143
Diesel Fuels	0.38143
Fuel Oil	0.07557
Aviation Kerosene	0.02845
Aviation Gasoline	0.02808

(Sourced form the Australian Taxation Office Web Site:
http://www.ato.gov.au/content/downloads/2002EXC03.pdf)

As you can see from the chart above, the tax component for unleaded fuel in Australia is around 38 cents per litre. This means that when you fill a 50L tank with unleaded fuel, around $20 of your bill is taken in taxes. Taxes clearly comprise a large portion of our fuel costs and contribute considerably to the overall taxation revenue collections each year. In fact, in 2002-2003, over $12.9 billion was collected in taxes from refined petroleum products in Australia.

Although this rate seems excessive, Australia actually rates well in comparison to other OECD countries. The following chart shows that Australia’s fuel prices are the fourth lowest and are among the least taxed of all the OECD countries.

(Sourced from the International Energy Agency “Energy Prices and Taxes”)

In other MotorMouth news, for those who haven't already signed up for their free daily fuel price emails, remember every user who does sign up for our free e-mails before the end of this month has the chance to Win 1 of 8 x 12 month Magazine Subscriptions from iSUBSCRiBE!.

To learn more about the MotorMouth / iSUBSCRiBE competition, click here. To receive your free emails, login to the MotorMouth website, click on Create Email and complete the short set up process. If you have already signed up, you can enter the competition from the link in each daily email.

Good luck with the iSUBSCRiBE competition and please contact us if you have any questions, suggestions or comments regarding MotorMouth and our money saving services.

Until next month...

Bernadette Murray
Marketing Manager - MotorMouth
bmurraymotormouth.com.au 

Damien Reid, our guest editor, with more fascinating news on the Fuel and Auto front.
Efficient-C Spells End To Old Smoky Vans
A consortium of European businesses has put together a three million pound programme to develop a practical, ultra-low emission commercial vehicle with real-world performance, range and class-leading cargo space.
[Read more]

Hybrids Win Engine Oscars
Fuel efficient hybrid engine technology has again been rewarded at the Automotive industry’s equivalent of The Oscars, the International Engine Of The Year awards.
[Read more]

New Car Reviews proudly supplied by News Limited.
Holden driving force
The first all-new Commodore engine in 16 years hits showrooms in September.
[Read more]

Cerato Sets the Pace
A long line of cars has carried the flag for Kia in the small car segment, with names like Mentor, Shuma and Spectra.The names are as forgettable as the cars themselves, but Kia's latest offering could set some tongues wagging.
[Read more]

The average, lowest and the highest prices for last month in each city were:

The price leading service stations for each city last month were:

Brisbane	Service Station BP Address Logan Road Suburb Underwood Average Price for month 87.9
Sydney	Service Station Coles Express Address corner Hume Highway and Strickland Street Suburb Bass Hill Average Price for month 95.4
Melbourne	Service Station Coles Express Address corner North Road and Fraser Street Suburb Ormond Average Price for month 97.0
Adelaide	Service Station On The Run Address 23 Main North Road Suburb Smithfield Average Price for month 97.0
Perth	Service Station Coles Express Address corner Hampton Road and South Street Suburb Fremantle Average Price for month 95.6

MotorMouth is committed to helping Australian motorists get a better deal on fuel by providing them with free and easily accessible information on fuel prices.

Reproduction of the whole or part of this email constitutes an infringement of copyright. All information published in this email is intended to be used for your personal use only and can not be used for commercial use without the prior written consent of MotorMouth Pty Ltd. For data sales enquiries please contact salesmotormouth.com.au