Fergal Browne (Fine Gael)

Last week I spoke on the need to cap VAT on fuel. Unfortunately no action has been taken. Every day fuel prices continue to increase. When one considers that the weakness of the American dollar is saving us from further increases, one realises how vulnerable we are. Senator Hanafin's point is correct. I repeat my call that the Minister for Finance come here and explain why a cap on fuel VAT cannot be implemented. Why do we doubly punish the motorist? While we cannot control the price of fuel imports, we can control the VAT charges. It is outrageous that the motorist is hit with a double take every day while fuel prices fluctuate. It should be easy to organise a cap on fuel VAT. We owe it to the hard-pressed motorists who are every day crippled by tolls, motor tax and long commutes. There is a significant variation in fuel prices around the country, as was evident on today's "Morning Ireland".