The Government is one of the most significant drivers of rip-off Ireland. Many of the costs affecting families currently are being driven up by the Government. To take electricity as an example, Ireland has one of the highest electricity costs in the whole of the European Union and the gap between retail price and electricity costs here is one of the largest in the world. The ESB is a semi-State company. It operates under Government policy. It is one of the biggest players in the market and is profiteering to the tune of €706 million in the jaws of a cost-of-living crisis. There are 300,000 people currently in energy arrears. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul has said it dealt with a quarter of a million people on its helpline calls before Christmas. This month, the Government increased the tax on petrol and diesel. It already increased the tax on petrol and diesel in the budget, only three months ago, and it increased the tax on heating oil and gas on families. In 2024, the Government took €4.1 billion in fuel taxes, the highest ever in the jaws of a cost-of-living crisis. The cost of filling a car is currently €19 more today than it was five years ago. That is not because of market issues or anything other than Government taxes. The Government is not finished with fuel taxes. It's aim is to increase carbon taxes for the next five years, irrespective of the economic circumstances of citizens at any given time. The Department of Transport has admitted in response to a freedom of information, FOI, request that there will be no new public transport capacity provided this year. The Government is using extra fuel costs and taxes as a stick to beat people out of their cars while refusing to provide a carrot of extra public transport capacity this year. At the start of this month, the Government also increased tolls on the M50 and other motorways. Some 160,000 people use the M50 on a daily basis because they have to. It is the busiest road in the country. Last year, we paid €212 million on tolls on the M50, not to a public private partnership, PPP, but to the Government because we own those bridges. We have paid €2.2 billion in tolls already on those two bridges that cost £58 million to build. It is incredible. We have bought those M50 bridges 30 times over. The Government is using them as a cash cow and as a tax on commuters and workers. Increasingly, the squeezed middle is having Government costs on it increased. What will the Taoiseach do to make life affordable for these people?
Sentiment score: 0.04
First of all, real income fell in 2021, 2022 and 2023. We are talking about a marginal recovery on those particular years. The Taoiseach talks about fuel allowances. The Government is giving money with one hand but picking the pockets of people with the other. The Government is taking more in fuel taxes than it is giving back in allowances. What we are talking about here is the working poor. In the budget for this year, the Government increased income taxes on the squeezed middle. Property taxes will increase for homeowners this year. An Post, for example, is increasing the cost if its stamps. Rents and house prices are increasing significantly, not just because the Government will not deliver supply into the market, but also because its own rent cap policies have increased rents in recent times to over €2,000 a month on average. That is really important. Look at the My Future Fund auto-enrolment scheme. It will start to bite this month for people who cannot afford their present situation. In terms of rip-off Ireland, will the Government reduce taxes on fuel and the cost of tolls?
Sentiment score: 0.11
We have the highest electricity costs.
Sentiment score: 0.00