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GOVERNMENT IS EXPECTED to move to cut excise on petrol and diesel in the next week or two.
The Journal reported earlier this week that senior sources said that should the €2 per litre mark for petrol and diesel be breached, the Government would have no choice but to step in.
Leo Varadkar signalled on Friday that the Government will intervene on costs before the budget in October.
The Tánaiste indicated to the Dáil this week that excise will need to be reduced in order to tackle the spiralling costs at the pumps.
Senior Government sources have told The Journal that while nothing is signed off on yet, a cut is on the cards soon.
“I would think in the next week or so,” said one senior source.
About 60% of pump prices are due to tax, including VAT and carbon tax, according to figures from the AA.
Due to excise receipts for the two months to the end of February being up €37 million on same period last year (this figure also includes alcohol sales), it is understood the Government believes there is some wriggle room for action to be taken.
As excise is a domestic tax, Government sources say it is an easier step to reduce it, rather than tinkering with VAT, as it is governed by an EU Directive.
The EU is currently preparing a white paper on how to deal with the cost in the rise of energy which could deal with the issue of VAT. The Taoiseach has said this should be completed within the next ten days.
On how Government plans to go about reducing excise, the same source said: “It would need legislation, but it is doable.”
Another said it is “pretty simple, you can just reduce it” stating that it is just “X cent per litre”.
While the Government has no estimate as to just how high fuel costs will go in the coming weeks, it is understood that “it could get much worse”.
When asked if it could hit €2.50 per litre, those in government circles said “you couldn’t rule it out”.
While a cut in excise would be a revenue loss, the Government’s thinking is that it would help tame inflation as high energy costs feed into everything.
While it has been indicated that the Green Party would not be keen on a move to reduce excise, it was also suggested that the Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe would also not be too happy on any changes in taxation before the Budget.
Sources have reiterated what the Taoiseach said last week in terms of pressing ahead with the carbon tax increase.
Carbon tax is due to increase for home fuels in May, but is not due to increase on petrol or diesel until October.
“We don’t want to cut that,” said the same source, stating that it is ring fenced for “good stuff”.
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Pity most of us dont get very generous travel allowances like our slow to react leaders. Coin it in for the tax man for a few more weeks before anything is done…. Cheers lads
@Paul Hedderman: you do know travel allowances are a set rate and not related to the price of petrol? You are implying they’re holding off for a week or two because it would affect their allowances. It won’t. In fact, it’s in their own interests to do this quickly, but never mind, hammer away at public servants anyway.
@TomTraubert: They should not be in receipt of travel allowances anyway, they are paid more than enough to cover their expenses, ordinary people have to manage and cut back on heating/eating fuel. These price hikes are really cutting in to peoples ability to manage their income without slipping in to debt.
@Honeybee: that’s not the point though. Wish people could just stick to the point here for a change. But, your determination of what they earn being ‘enough’ is irrelevant. You’re not automatically right. Or wrong, for that matter, but it’s not the point of this discussion.
@TomTraubert: oh I do know how they work Tommy boy. The point is the average joe is struggling enough and doesnt have the luxury of any allowances. These lads can get by no problem with the increases in fuel….. Many people are struggling to make ends meat and need some urgent relief. 60% of the price of fuel goes back to the tax man. Sickening amount considering our salaries are highly taxed already, property tax, carbon tax, sugar tax, health insurance levy, minimum alcohol pricing, 23% VAT, motor tax, VRT….. Delaying the relief will mean that theres a few more weeks of extra millions coming into the govts coffers due to the high prices instead of doing something about it last week.
@TomTraubert: You really don’t get it Tom, failure to act in a timely manner on spiralling fuel prices is pushing people in to a dark place where simply living and providing the basics for their families is no longer achievable . As it is people are stressed with making ends meet, it will not take much more of cutting our spending for day to day living for people to act. The point is people need the relief now , they literally can not afford to face another week of putting grocery money in the fuel tank to get to work.
@TomTraubert: They get paid a fuel allowance just for the commute of turning up for work!!! The point others are trying to make is that Ministers earn so much that they have absolutely no idea what its like to be Joe public and can’t empathise.
@Paul Hedderman: milage expenses rates are set by revenue, any increase on their rates is deemed additional income and taxable. for that reason the public sector and private sector stick to the revenue limits, a TD is getting no more for a journer then what I would claim off my private employer.
@Jason Walsh: How many private companies pay a mileage allowance to their employees just for driving in to attend work? Very, very few I would imagine.
@Jason Walsh: Lucky you that you get to claim travel allowance. Do you claim a flat rate for the year like they do no matter how little milage they clock up? 9k for Dublin TDs or 173 per week…… I and im sure the vast majority of people have to commute to work using their own hard earned and heavily taxed money with no allowance from my employer. Must be nice going to the pumps knowing you’re not spending your own cash…… Either way whats your point got to with the fact they’re slow to aid the regular joe who doesnt get travel allowances and is struggling. Maybe if they didnt have any allowance they might act faster.
A week or two? It needs sorting immediately? What effect on a litre of fuel and fuel in general would the postponement of carbon tax have does anyone know? When you think what we pay in taxes across the board as a nation and then look at our roads and national transport infrastructure, our flailing health system and housing crisis. It’s mind boggling sometimes.
@Rostyballs78: really, the crap roads argument? How about you compare the price of fuel in the UK and then look at their roads as see how much better off we are (I mean our national primary secondary and regional roads) playing the crap roads card is inaccurate and lazy.
@TomTraubert: also, the quality of our motorways far outweighs theirs. Our design standards are far superior but admitting that wouldn’t go down well with the ‘ireland is a kip’ brigade.
@TomTraubert: Our motorways were funded by the EU.
@TomTraubert: Sorry if I triggered you there buddy. Firstly I live in Ireland and I couldn’t give a fiddlers about prices and roads in England. Here in Clare our primary roads are pretty good but given that I have burst and buckled many tyres and wheels and lost my share of wing mirrors and more over the years on our back roads etc, I feel my argument is quite valid. Secondly there’s a pretty poor and substandard bus and rail system in this county unlike other parts of the country. I would consider rail and bus travel to come under our national infrastructure. As for a lazy inaccurate comment, good man. Thanks for that. My comment is based on my life’s experience to date but hey, if you need to belittle someone for having a personal opinion then that’s your issue. Have a lovely day.
@Frank Cauldhame: our motorways were not funded by the EU ..
@Roger Bond:
Dublin to Dundalk got £320m boost from EU funds
You might also have a look at this from 1999
https://www.audit.gov.ie/en/find-report/publications/1999/special-report-29-development-of-the-national-roads-network.pdf
@Frank Cauldhame: and? (By the way, I know that) that’s irrelevant.
Take your time lads…. its only them little peasants…. Nothing major…. Let them pay them taxes few more weeks…
We should focus on something more concerning – like raising our wages in the gov for our hard work.
@John Johnes: they said they would act at 2/litre. It hasn’t reached that yet. Also, it would take two weeks to get the legislative chance completed. So, they aren’t making peasants wait.
@TomTraubert: that is exactly what they are doing for the past 100 years Tom.
@John Johnes: like one of the posters above, how about sticking to the point?
@TomTraubert: he is sticking to one point, the cost of living.
@TomTraubert: By the time Leo stops sitting on his hands and acts it will be €2:50 a litre. As usual, all we get is hot air. You know what it’s like? You’ve been spewing enough of it today.
@John Fagan: can’t help it if people don’t like facts.
When they’re keeping €10 out of every €17 spent to fill our cars! Extortion
@Emer Caffrey: it’s paying for a lot of stuff that a lot of folks get for free through handouts given by the state. Remember that.
@TomTraubert: don’t be a government mouth piece. Car Tax pays for our roads..
@Emer Caffrey: I filled during the week. It cost me €112 and the government too around €67 profit of this. Petrol station made about €3.50 profit. That’s not right. The fuel at cost price to the petrol station would have been about €41.50 without government taxes.
@Patrick McGarry: wrong. It’s motor tax and goes into the exchequer. It’s not ring fenced.
No rush lads take your time
@Laura Mulcahy: If the glorious EU were worth their salt, a €1.50 cap on fuel prices across all member states should be imposed.
Ring fenced for good stuff that means free money or free upgrades to homes to people who don’t work and grants for people who do but who can’t afford the costs before the grants anyway so who really sees the benefit the working person screwed again
Look, it must be VERY serious for them to even consider cutting the excise on fuel. If this is what we know, imagine what we don’t know. It was the same with the doubling of the electricity payment, if that wasn’t a red flag for what was about to come I don’t know what was.
@JustBEERbarry: sensible comment. Encouraged there’s one person here not beating the poor me government have their snouts in the trough drum on this one
‘Some wriggle room’, I cannot stand when they talk to us like a bunch of school children. How dare they talk to us like they are our overlords, we put them there to work for us not in there own interests.
@Dave.: Peoples servants by the way….
People are slipping further and further into poverty on a daily basis and this is the best the gov can come up with. The time for action is now, up and down the country people are running out of kerosene and cant afford to refill their tanks because of the price of it, people who are struggling to make ends meet and who can barely afford to run a car are being backed into a corner where they may have no choice but to pack in work because it’s become to costly.
This isnt right, the gov need to intervene now
In July 2008 a barrel of oil hit $147 and the most I paid for a litre of diesel at the pump was €1.409! Can anyone explain why there’s been such a massive difference in the cost at the pump lately, (even before the invasion), and the barrel of oil? Surely it’s not carbon tax!
@Joe L: it’s not just Carbon taxes.Most budgets add tax to the price and lots of extra tax added during the recession.
Also the Euro is much lower now against the Dollar.
Ring fenced for good things? Really? Like what? This will be yet another scam to pull what they can from the hard pressed PAYE and self employed and will , no doubt , be sucked into general taxation! It was only a couple of weeks back that Ryan, when being pressed on this carbon tax that he slipped up saying it was to be used on children’s allowance!
The first thing that has to go is the Carbon Tax… Get rid of it off everything… It’s a disgrace the Greens are allowed to have so much power with so few TDs… Green Muppets
@Peadár Ó’Cearnacháin: Well said. I’m sick of carbon taxes all because a few girls want to drive around the city in a giant 4×4 with 1 child in the back.
730 euros for 500 ltrs of home heating oil as of this morning. Something seriously needs to be done.
@Pippa Maloney: Are you serious???!!! I ordered 500 litres 3 weeks ago for €480 and that was an increase of €50 from the previous month. FFS
For Gods Sake Give us a Break Those earning under €40,000 a year are just paying Bills bills bills # No life
Cut the tax /vat on fuel and just add it on to cigarettes/tobacco .
Simple.
Get rid of those pesky greens’ carbon tax for a start! In fact, get rid of the greeens!
Bad shower of men they get travel expenses in the thousands and we pay dearly at the pumps take your time lads another few million in the next few for the taxman and I hope they bring it down to a substantial rate
Too little too late as usual
What ever happened to the €200 that everyone was supposed to get towards bills ? Are we getting it in summer in the form of factor 50 vouchers ??
@Malachi Shanks: don’t hold your breath waiting on that 200.
Right lads we done it. 5 cent off a litre.
Methinks a bit more than a wiggle is needed. A litre of auto fuel needs to be capped as does home heating fuels. If the price fgoes over the allowed figure then the fuel companies should have to foot the bill. Well they’ve been gouging prices for many years now… I bet none of them have seen their percentage profits fall even when the juice was cheap.
I got diesel in Laragh, Co. Wicklow today for 175.9 !! Was a pity my car was half full at the time
Even the fuel for my cigarette lighter has increased what’s the world’s coming to.
Its gone up .05 since that photo
Lads, make that tank last
Do you still think that we were never going to pay for lockdowns and “free” worldwide vaccines?
if I can’t afford to drive to work I won’t be going, as it stands the average person can barely afford to feed his family and heat his home anymore
Irish Hauliers are gearing up for another protest and they have lots of support this time from van drivers, taxis, etc. All road users should support this protest. The cost of diesel/petrol affects every single thing you see around you in your home/office as well as your food/heat/clothing- it all gets delivered.
Hurry the fxxk up
Oh !take your time …..
In the next week or two! That is ridiculous! What is needed first of all is the repeal of the taxes imposed by the green party before Christmas, in a effort to try meke us all either walk, go electric or use public transport…..options that are unsuitable for most as there is no infrastructure in place to support them. Secondly, they need to clamp down on the blatant profiteering going on at the pumps. The numbers of places I saw raising prices on the day of the Russian invasion and again over the weekend on the Applegreen announcement was crazy, and I think I would not be too far off the mark in saying 99% didn’t take in a delivery on both those days….Still raised prices though
what about a similar reduction in home heating oil excise duty ?
If the tax rate on petrol was just standard VAT, it would only be about 1 euro per liter..
have your say