04-24-2012, 10:10 PM
We live in the very expensive San Francisco bay area and pay about $2,500 for three cars and three drivers, then about $2600/year for homeowners insurance on a modest home in a modest but nice area. I think part of the difference (other than the hyperinflated costs of living here in SF area) is that homes in much of the US are constructed of wood, and the rate of loss of those homes to fire is much greater than in England, leading to much higher insurance costs.
As to the dirt cheap price of fuel here, that is primarily due to far lower fuel tax rates. Whereas english fuel taxes are designed to increase efficiency and pay for things like highway maintenance and pollution reduction, those things are generally paid out of other tax sources in the US, and most consumers here demand low prices and could give a damn about efficiency.
As to the dirt cheap price of fuel here, that is primarily due to far lower fuel tax rates. Whereas english fuel taxes are designed to increase efficiency and pay for things like highway maintenance and pollution reduction, those things are generally paid out of other tax sources in the US, and most consumers here demand low prices and could give a damn about efficiency.