Retailers warn petrol price hikes will "shut streets again"

In an open letter to Finance Minister Simon Harris, Irish Petrol Retailers Association (IPRA) chief Michael Griffin said the fact it was even being considered “beggars belief”.

Petrol is currently around 183.9c a liter and diesel 191.9c.

Ending the duty cuts would send prices spiraling to more than €2 a liter, the price that sparked a week of mass protests around the country in April, with tractors and lorries blocking Dublin’s O’Connell Street for six days before gardaí moved in to remove them.

In an earlier reply to the IPRA at the end of July, Minister Harris said the matter would be looked at in October’s Budget.

However, Mr Griffin said yesterday: “To say the matter will be considered in the upcoming Budget beggars belief.

“That will sadly be too late for the many consumers relying on fuel for their business and daily commute.

“International wholesale prices have been rising over the last month, and the restoration of duty will take fuel over €2 per liter.

“That level is not sustainable for ordinary motorists, retailers, rural households, haulers, farmers, and small businesses.”

Crude oil prices are currently at almost $83 a barrel, well over the long-term average of around $70 for the past ten years.

The duty cut – which the Government said was always temporary – was increased in April, bringing reductions to 32c a liter for diesel and 27c for petrol.

The IPRA represents around 500 independent petrol stations around the Republic. Organizers of the fuel protests in April are mobilizing again, according to Kevin McPartlan of Fuels For Ireland, which represents larger petrol retailers and has been monitoring protesters’ online activities.

Mr McPartlan said: “It’s absolutely a threat that we are keeping an eye on.

“We are highlighting it to Government and we are warning that we could very well freefall into a situation where the prices that Irish motorists are being asked to pay for their fuel will be significantly higher than the prices that brought those people out onto the streets.

“We definitely did not support the tactics that were employed by the protesters; we felt they were very, very damaging.”

However, he warned that if “fuel prices of €2.20 brought people onto the streets then fuel prices of €2.30 is likely to have the same effect”.

A spokesman for the Department of Finance said yesterday: “To help alleviate the impact of increased fuel prices, Government provided for temporary excise rate reductions on petrol, diesel and Marked Gas Oil together with a number of non-tax supports.

 In an open letter to Finance Minister Simon Harris, Irish Petrol Retailers Association (IPRA) chief Michael Griffin said the fact it was even being considered “beggars belief”.

“Government also reduced the National Oil Reserves Agency levy and deferred the planned May 1 carbon tax increase.

“At the outset of the conflict in the Middle East, Government committed to ongoing monitoring of the situation and reserved the right to adjust the response as required, including in the context of Budget 2027. This continues to be the case.”

* This article was originally published on BusinessPlus.ie.