THE TAOISEACH HAS told Fianna Fáil TDs that price fixing and profiteering is “completely unacceptable” and “a barbaric act of cruelty on a civil population”.

The comments came ahead of a Government cut to excise duty on petrol and diesel that is to take effect from tomorrow and last until 31 August. The cut will result in a 20c per litre drop on petrol, 15c per litre drop on diesel and 2c drop on marked gas oil. 

Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said that filling a 60-litre tank should therefore reduce by an of €12 for petrol and €9 for diesel.

Despite this measure, there have been photos shared on social media of the high cost of petrol and diesel per litre, with many claiming that the cost increased dramatically overnight – sometimes, seemingly by the amount that the Government aimed to reduce costs by.

At the weekend, senior sources confirmed to The Journal that the Government would move to cut excise within the week as the price hit €2 per litre mark for petrol and diesel at some service stations.

Amid these reports, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said at a parliamentary party meeting tonight that “any exploitation of a barbaric war such as this is morally reprehensible” and that “such profiteering is completely unacceptable on fuel prices”.

Many people have been sharing sudden spikes in the cost of petrol per litre, seemingly overnight – with some people noting that the overnight increase is exactly the amount that the Government is aiming to cut petrol and diesel costs by.

People-Before-Profit/Solidarity TD Paul Murphy told the Dáil today that a petrol station around the corner from where he lives increased the price of diesel by 15c at lunchtime today, and called for price controls.

They’ll reduce it presumably, tonight by 15c and they’ll have made a very tidy profit for themselves.

Ahead of a Dáil vote being held tonight to approve the Government’s cut on excise on fuel and diesel, Fianna Fáil TD for Dún Laoghaire Cormac Devlin said that authorities must investigate reports of price gouging and “take action” against those companies. 

Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore told the Dáil this evening that she had written to the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to ask that it investigate reports of “cartel behaviour and price fixing” by motor fuel suppliers.

Earlier today, AA Ireland welcomed the excise cut but encouraged service stations not to increase prices to take advantage of the tax reduction.

“We would hope that the service stations would play ball. We have no control over that. We can only encourage them to do so,” AA Ireland’s head of communications told The Journal.

With reporting from Christina Finn and Ian Curran.