Gas Prices
Lexus Champion
Joined: Oct 2019
Posts: 19,748
Likes: 3,778
From: California
CL Community Team
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 3,425
Likes: 201
From: US
I thought Mike wanted to steer us back to Gas topic...
Of course you haven't. I guess "major" is the key. Anything less than 1k is fine, right? I always wondered how he got his votes. Now it makes sense. 
Lexus Champion
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 11,070
Likes: 107
From: Southeastern PA
The prosecutions you’re hearing about are usually not about the fuel itself, but about fraud and taxes tied to it:
1) Claiming bogus tax credits
The U.S. government offers subsidies/credits for renewable fuels. Some people have:- Claimed credits for fuel that didn’t exist
- Lied about how much biodiesel they produced
- Misrepresented the source (e.g., saying it was waste oil when it wasn’t)
- A major biodiesel fraud scheme involved hundreds of millions to over $1 billion in fake tax credits, leading to guilty pleas and prison sentences
- Other cases involve tens of millions in fraudulent claims tied to biofuel production
2) Not paying fuel taxes
Even small-scale producers can run into issues if they:- Produce fuel and don’t pay required road/fuel taxes
- Sell fuel without proper registration
3) Fraud in supply chains
There’s also ongoing scrutiny of whether companies are falsely labeling feedstocks (like claiming “used cooking oil” to qualify for subsidies). U.S. regulators have been auditing producers for this
Lead Lap
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 3,995
Likes: 1,624
From: San Diego, CA
Lead Lap
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 4,542
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From: SC
Lexus Champion
Joined: Oct 2019
Posts: 19,748
Likes: 3,778
From: California
Lexus Champion
Joined: Oct 2019
Posts: 19,748
Likes: 3,778
From: California
. Hawaii this September 👍👍👍👍Don't know which Island yet, my nieces husband is planning the trip
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Brett Foote
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 1,062
Likes: 68
From: TN
Took the 20 GLS450 to Miramar Beach, FL for a week. Got back last night. Premium prices: $4.359 at Sam’s on 4/23 (just checked and currently $4.759); $4.399 in DeFuniak Springs, FL; $4.869 in Destin; and $4.499 at Buc-ee’s in Athens, AL on 4/30. Did average 24.5 mpg.
Going down I did not see any $4+ signs for regular gas but saw several on the way back.
Going down I did not see any $4+ signs for regular gas but saw several on the way back.
Lexus Champion
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 17,190
Likes: 530
From: Knoxville, TN
Thank you 👍I've worked my a* off to be where I am today, I rolled up my sleeves and got in the mud to do it, but I still couldn't have done it without help. Let's just say I needed training wheels, after they were taken off I was full speed ahead and everything I built was on my own. I also owe a lot of it to my spouse, I did it for her and my kids. Your spouse sounds like someone who doesn't let the world get in his way, that's ambition I can only respect
Everything I do is for my loved ones too, I get it. Without said love and support I'd be a much different person... I have constant nerve pain pretty much and just don't know what I'd do alone. I keep improving physically but the foot neuropathy is getting worse and that's apparently normal from all the work I'm doing... this is all just such a trip. It's not the same thing at all but all the work I've done trying to get better etc etc I wish I was compensated for, it sure feels like a full time job lol.
I forgot to fill the car up bringing this back on topic, all three are low so that's gonna bite lol.
Last edited by AJT123; May 2, 2026 at 01:56 PM.
Rookie
Joined: May 2025
Posts: 30
Likes: 9
I went on road trip yesterday. 5 hour freeway drive. I had to fill up the tank on my 2023 ES 350 almost from empty when I left. Prices in Toronto were C1.87 per liter for regular which is US$5.21 per gallon but I chose to treat my car with Ultra from Petro-Canada for C$2.12 which is US$5.91 per gallon. One of the most expensive fill-ups I’ve done in a long time.
i know the manual says regular is good enough for my car but I usually put in mid-grade at least.
i know the manual says regular is good enough for my car but I usually put in mid-grade at least.
Well no one loves taxes, including Californians. But there's nuance. Some CA state taxes have potentially higher rates, but those rates are tiered and the higher rate brackets don't apply to all but the very highest earners. Everyone likes to use the top rate to illustrate their "high taxes" point, but if you're MFJ you're not paying the highest rate until over $2m in AGI, for example. And we have Prop 13, so our property taxes are generally well behind market value. We paid roughly 10K in property tax for a house we sold for the best part of $3 million, and we were able to keep that 10K cost by transferring our property tax base to a different house we bought because of Prop 19. I'll bet a ton of people here pay more than 10K in propery taxes, quite probably on properties with lower market values. The reality is you don't really pay top tax rates until you earn a lot, and this is one of the few places where lots of people can earn those kinds of numbers consistently. So no need to feel too bad for us. But also no need to worry in general, as chances are you're not going to pay those high rates you hear about.
or 48th (out of 50, new york highest) by this source: https://taxfoundation.org/statetaxindex/
i don't feel bad for you, nor do i worry about it, lol.
Last edited by bitkahuna; May 1, 2026 at 03:37 PM.
Lexus Champion
Joined: Oct 2019
Posts: 19,748
Likes: 3,778
From: California
If one does their taxes properly and exploits the many loopholes, than tax burdens are easily lowered. I definitely pay more to live in Cali, but it's kind of like paying more for the car you love or having to put Premium in that two seater impractical sports car you love. But I think some people don't realize the size of California, if you live further out from the coast you can buy a giant house for cheap. My brother lives in Eastvale CA, next door to him is a small city called Norco...or Horse town USA where you would think you were in the middle of Texas 