By Michael Byers, Editor-In-Chief, Mikiverse Politics.
Privately travelling in the warmth of a beautiful Autum morning, I was jolted into a semblance of reality by the big price board outside a country multinational petrol station. It said $1.47.9 or thereabouts and I was instantly reminded how although the petrol companies claim that petrol pricing lies outside of their control, it always goes up on public holidays such as Christmas and Easter. I hope you filled up when it was cheaper a few days ago.
One other trend of petrol pricing that I have noticed is the 4/3, or more commonly, the 5/2 cycle that effects prices. on this scale, you have two, or three days of increased prices, followed by four or five days of deflated, or, regular prices. At the moment, it looks like thursday and friday are the days to avoid buying petrol, a couple of months ago the more expensive days were friday and saturday.
Look out for the way the petrol companies get you to pay more at the bowser. The two expensive days, which can be up to 16 days a litre dearer than usual is the day, when the increase comes, so, for example, at the moment, $1.50-55 is the upper end of the price scale that we encounter with $1.35-40 being the cheaper end. You will race in to grab the cheaper prices even though it was only three or four months ago that $1.35 was at the upper end of the price sale. We were avoiding that price and grabbing the $1.20 petrol till the day came when instead of returning to $1.20, the petrol jumped from $1.35 to $1.50. All of a sudden, you are grateful to be 'only' paying $1.35, and the multi-nationals are making a lot more money of us.
Of course there is nothing sinister in the coincidental timing of these price increases happening just before Christmas last year, it was obviously outside of the control of the multi-nationals and the government who have been strangely quiet about all the extra excise tax that they are now reaping in.
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