Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald today said: “A Sinn Féin-led government will cut the price of petrol and diesel to help workers and families who are still struggling with cost-of-living crisis and this is a permanent reduction over the lifetime of the next government. This will save drivers an average of €7 on every tank of petrol.
“Since 2020, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have added €12 to a tank of fuel. They are committed to increase it by a further €7 a tank over the next five years. That is 12c on every litre of fuel.
Sinn Féin is going to stop that.”
Ms. McDonald said:
“We are in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis where people are struggling to pay the bills every single week – for food, accommodation, to keep their homes warm, and for petrol and diesel to get to and from work, to get children to school and go about their daily lives.
“But in the middle of this crisis for workers and families, government has increased taxes on fuel to such a level that we now have the highest taxes in Europe on petrol and diesel, and Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael want to increase them further.
“Since 2020, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have added €12 to a tank of fuel. They are committed to increase it by a further €7 a tank over the next five years. That is 12c on every litre of fuel.
We are going to stop that
“A Sinn Féin-led government will cut the price of petrol and diesel to help workers and families who are still struggling with the cost-of-living crisis and this is a permanent reduction over the lifetime of the next government. This will save drivers an average of €7 on every tank of petrol.
“In order to give people immediate relief we will also reverse the August and October increases which added 6c to petrol and 5.5c to diesel.
“We would also offset the toll increases due to come into effect on the 1st of January, at a cost of €8m.
“The cost-of-living crisis is not over. It is a lived reality for families across Ireland. Daily costs for families are still rising in many areas.
“A prebudget survey in September found that ‘almost half of workers said they were suffering from financial stress’.
“The Central Statistics Office income and living conditions survey found that ‘concern among households about financial deprivation has risen each year since 2021’.
“Throughout this week, our focus will be on helping workers and families with the cost of living, giving workers and families a break. So, today, we are setting out our first measure, which is to guarantee cheaper petrol and diesel over the next five years.
“Forget about the noise of all the promises from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. These are the guys that have been putting their hands in your pocket every year for the last five, spending your money and making your life harder.
“Don’t let them do it again. Give us a chance and Sinn Féin will put money back in your pockets. We will reverse the two most recent hikes to taxes on petrol and diesel, and cancel all the planned further increases to carbon tax.”
