Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour) | Oireachtas source

It has to be kept under review. It fact, the Minister should make a clear statement here today that he is actively considering deferring the planned increases in August and October, respectively, which will make the differential between retail prices in the South vis-à-vis the North much more significant.

The Minister is quite correct. When people cross the Border from Drogheda or Dundalk to fill their car in Newry, or just across the Border in the petrol stations there, they take an extra few miles of a trip to do their shopping. That is impacting on retailers right across the Border region, as other Deputies have pointed out. I implore the Minister to keep this under review. It is having a real impact on the bottom line for hard-working people. My own area has been subjected to significant tolls. For example, there are a number of tolls around the Drogheda area. Increased tolls increase excise. Increased carbon taxes have been legislated for by this Legislature, but I am not talking about carbon taxes. I am talking about excise duty and the impact it is having on the everyday lives of motorists, including people getting to work and people operating small businesses.

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