Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation
Dail Éireann — 2026-03-26
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Simon Harris (FG), Wicklow

I would make the point that there are limitations on what it is legally possible to do to excise duty. This week, the Government took measures on excise duty, fuel allowance and the diesel rebate. Some members of the Opposition are asking me to reduce the non-carbon excise element of home heating oil, which does not exist. I cannot do that. There are also rules around the energy tax directive. There is a limit - I am just being honest - to how much we can do in relation to the excise duty on green diesel. However, farmers will benefit from the reduction we made and the pause of the National Oil Reserves Agency, NORA, levy. The total benefit will be around 5 cent.
I recognise that farmers and the agrifood sector may, like other sectors in the economy, require assistance in the time ahead. The Government will remain nimble and agile in respect of those issues. This week was about excise duty and doing what we could to alleviate the cost increases in petrol and diesel, to help those most at risk of fuel poverty and to provide crucial assistance for the supply chains in our economy around the haulage sector. I am aware of the pressures that other sectors of the economy are under or may come under in the time ahead. That is one of the reasons that the Government has brought in these measures for a time-bound period. It will give an opportunity to come back. I will keep in touch with the Deputy because I know it is an important issue that impacts his community and many people across the country.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-03-26/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:47+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-26