I thank the proposers of the motion. I am delighted to get the chance to talk about the cost of living. The increased cost of living is in everyone's mouth, and everyone is saying that their wages are being eroded by the cost of living. I believe the main driver is the cost of fuel and energy. For every litre that is purchased, more than half of the cost, approximately 95 cent, is going to the State coffers. There is room for manoeuvre. It is time to get rid of carbon tax, full stop. Fuel is dear enough. I want to talk about rents. People are out of their minds about the cost of rent. In most cases, the Government is taking 52% in tax out of each person who is renting a property just to provide a roof over their head. Businesses have to deal with the cost of electricity. I have stated in the House several times that there is no sign of a regulator. Every day since Bord na Móna closed, the cost of electricity has gone up. People in Kerry are outraged at the amount of money they are paying for electricity. Especially businesses cannot keep going and with commercial rates on top of that, people are being driven out of their long-standing businesses that have been operating even in Killarney and in places like Castleisland, Currow and Cordal. In all of those places, shops that were there forever, going back ages, are closing. They are gone now and more of them are set to go because the rates have gone mad. The demands that people are getting for commercial rates are totally outrageous altogether. I will say it again to the Government; it is taking in more and its expectations regarding the tax take have doubled over the last number of months. At the same time, it was so slow to react to the protestors and the people who were outraged that the prices at the pumps were going up each day. I told the Government that in this House on 24 March, when it offered 3 cent on green diesel and home heating to the people. It offered 3 cent and 2 cent per litre, when it was costing people 70 cent or 80 cent more per litre. At the same time, it was able to give €40 million to Ukraine and €125 million to Zelenskyy when he came here. The Government put the country down for the almost €2 billion that it borrowed for that.

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That is where taxpayers' money is going, not back to taxpayers, who are giving the Government the money.

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