BAGHDAD, Iraq - While Americans are shelling out record prices for fuel, Iraqis pay only about 5 cents a gallon for gasoline — a benefit of hundreds of millions of dollars subsidies bankrolled by American taxpayers.
Before the war, forecasters predicted that by invading Iraq (news - web sites) and ousting Saddam Hussein (news - web sites), America would benefit from increased exports of oil from Iraq, which has the world's second largest petroleum reserves.
That would mean cheap gas for American motorists and a boost for the oil-dependent American economy.
More than a year after the invasion, that logic has been flipped on its head. Now the average price for gasoline in the United States is running $2.05 a gallon — 50 cents more than the pre-invasion price.
Instead, the only people getting cheap gas as a result of the invasion are the Iraqis.
Filling a 22-gallon tank in Baghdad with low-grade fuel costs just $1.10, plus a 50-cent tip for the attendant. A tankful of high-test costs $2.75.
In Britain, by contrast, gasoline prices hit $5.79 per gallon last week — $127 for a tankful.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...iraq_cheap_gas
Thats just crazy. Only 5 cents? I mean it is gas from their country but still.