Mineral Oil Tax: Financial Resolution
Dail Éireann — 2026-08-28
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Paul Murphy (PBP), Dublin South-West

There is one lesson for me from today's farce, and it is that the Government is scared of the people. The only reason we are here today is that the Government is scared of widespread protests about the cost-of-living crisis. In response, we have a two-month stay of execution for petrol and diesel costs alone. It is completely inadequate when the cost-of-living crisis, driven by Trump's imperialist adventures in the Middle East, is worsening for working people right across the board.
What people want and need are certainty, security and stability. These could easily be provided. We have been calling for price controls for years. They are necessary and they need to be combined with universal electricity credits paid for by a levy on the data centres and investment in a rapid and just transition to a zero-carbon economy to get off of our addiction to and reliance on fossil fuels.
The only way to force the Government to act is the threat of protest and protest itself. There will be substantial protest. On Saturday, 19 September, the Affordable Ireland Campaign will be mobilising significant numbers to say that, in one of the richest countries in the world, the upcoming budget must not make life harder for ordinary people but should instead protect people.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-08-28/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-31T01:00:52+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-08-28