Aontú Leader and Meath West TD Peadar Tóibín has called on the Government to scrap Carbon Taxes during this period of fuel price increases. An Teachta Tóibín stated:
“The cost of filling a car with petrol today is now over €100. 60% of the price of diesel is now tax. 65% of the price of petrol is now tax. A €100 fill of petrol would cost €35 if it were not for your ever-increasing fuel tax. These taxes are not progressive. The hurt low- and middle-income earners the most. They also hurt regional and rural Ireland the most.
In 2024 your government took €4.1b in fuel taxes. At the peak of the cost of living crisis the government took more in fuel taxes in Ireland than ever before. In 2024 Carbon Tax reached €1billion. It is now the largest tax on all fuels in Ireland and it will keep increase for every year until 2030 no matter what the economic circumstance of the citizens will be.
The war in Iran is now likely to send the cost of fuel surging. Academics have estimated that the price of petrol could increase by 70c to €2.44. Diesel could increase by 81 c to €2.53 a litre. That would bring a tank full of petrol or Diesel to over €150. These are eye watering figure for most families.
Its already happening. On Friday a fill of home heating oil cost €1000. It increased by €150 for a fill in just 4 days. This should not be happening as the supply chain purchased this oil before this crisis in Iran. It may well be on its way to just under €2,000 for a fill.
Now natural gas, which generates a large portion of Ireland’s electricity, is subject to a carbon tax that will increase to €71 per tonne of CO2 by the 1st of May this year. Your government aim to raise fuel tax at a time when market prices will surge.
Taoiseach your government will also be quids in from increase fuel price increases. Not only are families being price gouged. But the truth is this government tax gouges in these circumstances. As the price of fuel increases your taxes will also increase. The more families suffer the more income the government will make.
Taoiseach, we were told that the purpose of Carbon tax was to change behaviour. It was to move people away from fossil fuels. The aim, is to push the price of fuel to a level that would push people towards sustainable alternatives. But if the market is already pushing the price beyond that level, then there is no need for Carbon Tax.
And what about if a family has no alternative to the car to get to work or to home heating oil to heat the house, they cant change behaviour. For those families Carbon Tax is just inflicting economic pain. Will you scrap Carbon Tax if the cost of petrol and diesel increases beyond current levels.
