Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)

I thank all Members who contributed. I am sorry the debate was not slightly more constructive. To be constructive, Deputy Dooley could have shown me where to get the €174 million this measure would cost if I acceded to the request. In present circumstances, that is a lot of money in anyone's terms. At the time of the budget, petrol was 150 cent per litre and is now 170 cent, an increase of 20 cent. On budget night, there was no increase in excise but a 2% increase in VAT and an increase of €5 on a tonne of carbon. Of the 20 cent increase since the budget, less than 5 cent is attributable to taxes imposed by this Government. It is untrue to say the vast proportion of the price increase derives from tax increases.

Deputy Micheál Kitt referred to an article in The Irish Times but misquoted it. He said there had been an increase in recent months of over 20 cent due entirely to tax increases. The article said that, since 2008, tax increases contributed an increase of 20 cent to the price of a gallon of petrol. Of that, 5 cent was the work of this Government and the other 15 cent of the increase was the work of Fianna Fáil and the Green Party. I appreciate the conversion of the Fianna Fáil Party and the fact that it is addressing some of the damage it did. However, it has the same solution of throwing lumps of money it does not have at the problem.

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