Are UK fuel distributors profiteering ?

[JuliaMaesa]

Curious what people who are not involved (except having to stump up) think ?

Haven’t they always.

Well yeah, same as the supermarkets who put their prices right up whenever anything happens, then they don't go down again once things return to normal.

Our gas has gone down in price, so they've put the electricity standing charge right up 🤦🏼‍♀️

Everyone's profiteering and we're just sitting ducks.

Yes.

They may well be; but for the government to be calling them out is chutzpah in the extreme, with the vast majority of the pump price already going straight to them, including tax on tax.

"Hey, you - you shouldn't be allowed to profiteer from consumers... that's OUR job!"

I think it might depend on the level of- do we mean sale to the petrol station or sale from petrol station to the public.

I heard an independent station owner saying that the price they pay has increased a lot, also they are being refused with fuel first to the big operators.

I expect motorways are prices rise immediately oil prices for example in April go up, but when it drops in May the companies say that they buy in advance so the oil is still from April, expecting the consumer to not remember that the price hike was for the fuel bought cheaply in March.

The trouble is they have a captive market. And even things like electric cars won’t be immune because electricity price is rising.

Well yes but the government aren't the ones raising the price. If the petrol companies didn't raise the cost then the government wouldn't be getting that extra income. I guess the government could reduce the tax they take to make it cheaper but then there's no guarantee that would be passed on to the consumer. The petrol companies could keep the price to the consumer at the same high level and pocket the difference. They would do that if they thought they could get away with it. The same way they are raising the prices on petrol they already paid for- because they can.
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Plus, while I don't like paying tax on fuel etc it is going towards government spending (if it's not wasted on stupid stuff). The "them" it goes to is "us" indirectly at least in theory. Whereas the profits the petrol companies take just go to buying more expensive houses for the execs or whatever rich people spend money on.

I’m more upset by companies profiteering by selling to the likes of the NHS and the armed forces. I was reading today about the NHS being charged (e.g.) £45 for a bog-standard, unbranded computer mouse - because hospitals etc have to use “approved suppliers”.

Maybe the govt could fix that sort of racket first, before looking at price increases caused solely by a huge, sudden, uncontrollable (by the oil companies) drop in oil supply.

No, true, the government doesn't get any more money when the petrol stations put up their prices (apart from presumably a bit extra VAT on the overall higher price?); but I just hate the way they seem to be solely putting the blame on the PSs for making it so expensive when, even if the PS gave fuel away free, it would still cost a not insignificant amount just for the tax!

I completely agree on this. It should be the exact opposite for the NHS: they should be in the strongest position possible in negotiating hard for the very best prices for the amount that they buy; not at the mercy of what a few extremely lucky suppliers want to rinse them for! Why isn't the balance of power firmly reversed?!