Government announces €505m in fuel-cost measures including reduction on fuel
Further reductions of duties on fuel and a delay in a carbon tax increase have been announced by the Government.The decisions were announced on Sunday evening as part of €505 million in fuel-cost measures by Taoiseach Micheal Martin. The announcement came after an emergency cabinet meeting to address the fuel crisis following major protests.An Taoiseach said the government will be introducing a fuel subsidy support scheme for farming and fisheries. He said that the scheduled increase to carbon tax due to take effect next month is being postponed until the budget in October.Government is now extending temporary measures to reduce excise duty on petrol, diesel and marked gas oil. These measures are due to be in place from the end of May to the end of July.There will be a 10 cent reduction per litre on both diesel and petrol. There will be a 2.4 cent reduction per litre on marked gas/oil.The reductions in fuel will come into effective from midnight on Tuesday subject to Oireachtas approval.Tánaiste Simon Harris said "no Government can take action that can fully insulate people" but said that the measures on excise duty "will make a real difference." He added that he believes everyone will have "some sort of relief" from this package of measures.The protests which took place over the past six days included blockades of Ireland’s only oil refinery and other key depots such as ports, as well as Dublin's O'Connell Street and key roads and motorways.Taoiseach Micheál Martin said Opposition TDs that were supporting blockades are not "fit for Government."The Taoiseach also that the Government supports people's rights to protest, but that it "cannot be at the expense of the fundamental rights of people.""They have explicitly rejected the right of democratic representative groups to speak for them and have gone well beyond simply expressing their point," he said. "Nobody has a right to blockage our country," he added.Want to see more of the stories you love from Dublin Live? Making us your preferred source on Google means you’ll get more of our exclusives, top stories and must-read content straight away. To add Dublin Live as a preferred source, simply click here.Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content.We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
