by Kate Heaney
WITH a further 4 cent and 3 cent being added to the price of motor fuel today, Sinn Féin TD Pádraig Mac Lochlainn has called on government to explain their latest price hikes to hard-pressed workers in Donegal and elsewhere.
Today’s increase is the second excise duty hike in three months.
The Buncrana based deputy said that this latest increase will push people in border counties to start buying their fuel in the north which will lead to a loss of revenue from excise duty. This excise hike will leave petrol 26 cent per litre more expensive compared to the north, with diesel just under 10 cent per litre dearer in the south when compared to the north.
“Fuel costs are already 30 per cent higher than they were three years ago, which means the government’s overall tax take is 30 per cent higher.
“Motorists in Donegal are already under huge pressure from unaffordable costs due to the cost of living crisis.
“The Government owes the people of Donegal an explanation about why, in the middle of a cost of living crisis, they are happy to sit back and watch as another excise duty increase hits workers and families. Many people in Donegal have no choice but to use their cars. The government has failed to put in place adequate public transport services to serve as a realistic or reliable alternative.
“To expect people to take these increases on the chin just shows how out of touch this government is with workers and families who are struggling with unaffordable costs,” Deputy MacLochlainn said.
He added that if this government is insisting on pushing ahead with these increases, their TDs must explain why to people in Donegal, who will be paying the price for their actions.
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