Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister said that there are lots of considerations feeding into the final price that people pay at the pump. What he did not say was that nearly 60% of what people pay to fill up their car is going to the Revenue. It goes to the State because that is the level of tax that is being applied and the Minister's plan is to increase the tax. When people stop off at a petrol station in Gweedore or in Dublin and put a litre of petrol into their car, €1 of what they pay goes to the Revenue Commissioners. The Government has decided to increase that amount. It is doing so at a time when those resources are not required by the State, when the State is about to record a surplus of €11 billion. Petrol and diesel prices have been higher, admittedly, but diesel prices are still 40% higher and petrol prices are still 30% higher than they were three years ago. I have always said that petrol and diesel prices and the taxes we levy on them must be kept under constant review. What I am saying now is that the Minister made the wrong decision last week to increase the cost of petrol and diesel.

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