Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. We need balance and perspective in the debate. I fully accept that the cost-of-living increases are having a significant impact on people. These are caused by a war and caused by a pandemic. Without question, the pandemic and the war have caused extraordinary increase in energy prices globally. This is happening now all over the world, not because of the carbon tax or anything else like that, but because of the impact on the energy market, because of restrictions on fuel and because of the enormous uncertainty that has created. As a result, the Government did take measures to help hauliers. There were measures taken in tillage to assist farmers, as well as on the broader issue of reducing the excise duty etc. on the cost of fuel between 15 and 20 cent. These are very significant measures costing about €900 million, when including the medical cost reductions, the transport cost reductions, to €200 electricity cut etc. That is on the top of a budget of €1 billion that was given last October in tax for this year. Already, close to €2 billion in measures have been taken and it is only the beginning of April.

In, the bigger picture, the individual tax that the Deputy references is not at all as significant as people are endeavouring to portray it. We can take measures, as we took in the budget to offset that.

We have not closed Bord na Móna, which is enjoying a new lease of life-----

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