Following a meeting at Leinster House today, between the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) and the Minister for Transport, Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín TD has welcomed the engagement and called for the government to follow through with significant fiscal support for the sector.
The meeting took place as the transport industry continues to navigate a period of unprecedented fuel price volatility, with diesel costs reaching €2.20 per litre at many forecourts. In response to these pressures, emergency legislative measures are set to be brought before the Dáil next week aimed at reducing the tax burden on fuel and energy
Deputy Tóibín said “I want to congratulate the IRHA delegation for their steadfastness in today’s meeting. They have officially put the reality of the transport sector’s collapse directly onto the Minister’s desk. For months, our hauliers have been pushed to the absolute brink by a relentless rise in fuel costs that has seen their overheads explode beyond any sustainable level.”
“We are seeing family-run businesses, the backbone of our supply chain, being driven off the road because they simply cannot afford to turn the key in the ignition. For too long, the government has used international conflict as a shield for its own tax-gouging policies. When such a massive percentage of the price at the pump is comprised of government takes, the State is not a bystander to this crisis it is the primary beneficiary”
“The Minister has heard the hauliers demands clearly for a suspension of the carbon tax and deep cuts to excise duty. Anything less than a concrete package of supports by next week will be seen as another empty promise by a sector that is currently being bled dry by the State.”
“The impact on hauliers is an impact on every single household in this country; if the trucks don’t move, the shelves don’t get stocked. It is our sincere hope that these measures are sufficient to provide substantial and immediate support to struggling businesses and hauliers across the country.”
“We have been the only party to consistently oppose these punitive carbon tax hikes from the very beginning, and we now call on the government to ensure that the emergency measures go far enough to actually alleviate the pressure” concluded The Deputy.
