Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The cost of filling a car in January 2021 was €78. I filled my own. The cost to fill the same car today is €91. The Government is now to also increase the carbon tax, which will increase this cost by €1.48, increasing the cost to fill that car to €92.48. Over 12 months, assuming that 60 l of fuel are used per week, the extra cost to run a car will be €780 per car owner. One must also consider SMEs, hauliers and farmers. Who benefits from this? City projects. Who pays the most? Those in towns, villages and rural areas and small businesses. We pay the most and we get no return. Filling a 1,000 l oil tank at 50 cent per litre cost €500. This oil now costs 85 cent per litre. I have just got those costs this minute. Filling that tank will now cost €850, representing an increase of €350. The average family burns 4,000 l a year resulting in an increase of €1,400. Who pays the most? People in towns, villages and rural areas. It is an absolute joke. We have the highest costs but get the least investment. We have no public infrastructure. We have no sewerage or water infrastructure. The Government does not even fix the roads.

The Government gives such a small amount of funding to the local authorities they can do only the barest of repairs and no new roads are being constructed. Rural Ireland is paying the most. Some members of the Government were elected by the people of the towns and villages in rural areas. Approximately 37% of the population of Ireland live in towns, villages and rural areas. Government members need to remember that for the next time they go knocking on the doors.

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