# who makes more from gas sales: .gov or industry?

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-makes-more-from-gas-sales-gov-or-industry/675772
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [December 7, 2013, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-makes-more-from-gas-sales-gov-or-industry/675772 "2013-12-07T21:23:50Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 2

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### Author: ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2013, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-makes-more-from-gas-sales-gov-or-industry/675772/21 "2013-12-09T20:10:59Z")

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> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#):
>
> Do you know what the margin on a gallon of gas is for an independent seller? It’s around 8-12 cents a gallon, or under 3%.
> 
> So a merchant that sells 10,000 gallons of gas makes $1000 on that sale, gross, from sales of about $350k. Hardly a lot against business expenses, raising kids and losing at poker.

Yes, I know what the margin is, thanks for asking.

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### Author: ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2013, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-makes-more-from-gas-sales-gov-or-industry/675772/22 "2013-12-09T20:51:32Z")

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> [@obbn](#):
>
> I have honestly never understood this statement. Why in the world should we as Americans care what people in other countries pay in taxes on their gas?

Perspective?

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### Author: ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2013, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-makes-more-from-gas-sales-gov-or-industry/675772/23 "2013-12-09T21:26:07Z")

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On a national average 15% of the price of a gallon of gas is taxes. The other 85% is everything else. You can debate over how much of the 85% is “cost” and how much is “profit”.

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### Author: ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2013, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-makes-more-from-gas-sales-gov-or-industry/675772/24 "2013-12-09T21:32:32Z")

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> [@dracoi](#):
>
> Yes, I know what the margin is, thanks for asking.

Really. Saying this…

> [@dracoi](#):
>
> I don’t think it is so absurd. Lots of people tend to think that Exxon is directly gouging them at the pump. They don’t stop and think "Hey, this gas station gets a lot of the revenue…

…indicates the opposite, unless you want to substantiate your argument that about 3% gross margin is “a lot of the revenue.”

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### Author: ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2013, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-makes-more-from-gas-sales-gov-or-industry/675772/25 "2013-12-09T21:33:45Z")

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> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#):
>
> Perspective?

No such thing without context, which is often overlooked.

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