We hear a lot about government contractors ripping off the government. Well, this is a prime example: A gas station in Afghanistan costing the U.S. taxpayer $43 million that should only have cost $500,000.
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If you’d like to visit, it’s located in Sheberghan, Afghanistan and was built in 2012 to show that compressed natural gas could be used in cars in that region effectively.
John Sopko, head of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction said:
“[The Pentagon] charged the American taxpayers $43 million for what is likely to be the world’s most expensive gas station.”
The Department of Defense has been unable to respond to the claims…Figures!
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From Reuters:
The U.S. Department of Defense spent nearly $43 million on a gas station in northern Afghanistan and has been unable to explain why it cost so much, a U.S. special inspector reported on Monday.
The Pentagon “charged the American taxpayers $43 million for what is likely to be the world’s most expensive gas station,” said John Sopko, head of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, a congressionally mandated body. The amount was spent between 2011 and 2014 on construction and initial implementation of the station.
The gas station in Sheberghan, Afghanistan opened in 2012 and was created to show that compressed natural gas could be used in Afghanistan in cars effectively.
Do you think this sort of overspending is rampant or is this an isolated case? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
