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

The Minister of State was elected to represent the people. What is he going to say to the husbands, wives and children in this country when they cannot get adequate food to feed their family? Shop owners have told me their turnover has increased by 10% on last year. They tell me the margin on the products they buy into their shop are down by 5% but that their running costs mean they will now have slimmer profit margins than those which they had last year, even though they are turning over more money. The Government has done nothing about this but increased taxes. That is where the price increases in all the shops stem from. The increase in transport costs has resulted in an increase in the cost of producing food, and the answer of the Government, which was elected to protect the people, is one of tax. Let us make the problem of inflation worse by taxing everyone in this country out of existence, but come September of this year, when people have to get their children back to school, they will look to the Government and what it has done to their families.

When they look at their shopping bills and try to put clothes on their children and food in their lunch boxes to get them to school, they will remember the Government. The cheapest meat you can get at the moment is luncheon sausage. That has gone up 25% since last week. The packet of ham, which was always €4, is now €4.70. The pound of butter has gone up by 20%. That is all down to taxes because this country is completely reliant on fossil fuels as we have no alternatives and the answer of this Government is tax, tax, tax. We will take in more tax but give nothing back. The Government should reduce its take on fuel. It would help everything in this country to do with the production of food.

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