Gas Prices On the Rise
    In recent weeks the price of gas has gone into high gear. Going from around $1.45 a gallon to over $2.00.  But the buzz is that we are still paying far less than drivers in Europe for a gallon of gas. Yes, in Great Britain the price is around $5.00 per gallon, but are they really paying more than we are for gas? That $2.00 you just spent for a gallon of gas covers about 60¢ for tax and $1.40 for the actual gas. In Great Britain,  the $5.00 breaks down into about $3.80 in taxes and $1.20 for the gas. In the US we pay on the average 29% in tax, while in Europe drivers pay from 60 to 80% in taxes.

 The way prices keep rising, it's hard to get a current world-wide price comparison. The following prices are from 2003 when gas in the US was at $1.64 per gallon.
 

As you can see, the price of gas is about the same, the difference comes from the transportation, distribution, and refining cost for each country.  The other factor is the supply and demand. In the US the price seems low compared to the rest of the world, but it really is not, the only difference is how the government collects the tax.  We may not pay it at the pump but we pay it in many other ways.