hmm i duno if this is accurate, but i think all the petrol
stations are owned by the government, because they have bought the
franchise from the different oil companies. can anyone verify
tt?
if its true, then well...no wonder prices are so high as
compared across the causeway...with our government trying to make
owning a car diff...
Government put small pieces of land for tender to operate as
petrol stations. If the winner is not oil companies, then they
operate under franchise. The lease of the tender is usually for 30
years and the winning bids have always been tens of millions of
dollars.
The government first take a lump sum from the lease of the land,
then it is the tax on petrol.
But it is the oil companies who decide on the prices, not the
government. If you find all prices the same because there is an
invisible cartel. Then each oil company use cards/rebate systems to
give discount to regular customer. If you forget to bring the card
or have no visa from a certain bank, you may lose up to 8%
discount.
Singapore don't take oil from the ground, the government will
not subsidize oil prices and the tax will remain, but the real
culpits that keep pump prices high are the oil companies.
