Sinn Féin pledges to cut cost of filling-up the car by €7
Mary Lou McDonald: 'Government has increased tax on fuel to such a level that we now have the highest taxes in Europe on petrol and diesel.'
Sinn Féin has pledged to permanently cut the cost of filling a car with petrol or diesel by €7, as part of cost-of-living measures announced by party leader Mary Lou McDonald.
She accused Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael of hiking the cost of fuel in recent years, saying that it is now €12 more expensive to fill a tank than it was in 2020.
“We are in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis and people are struggling to pay their bills every single week on food, accommodation, to keep their homes warm, and for petrol and diesel, to go to and from work, to get the children to school and to go about their daily lives,” Ms McDonald said.
“In the middle of this crisis for workers and families, government has increased tax on fuel to such a level that we now have the highest taxes in Europe on petrol and diesel.”
The Sinn Féin leader said, if her party is in government after the election, it would scrap any moves to further increase fuel duty as well as reverse previous rises in August and October.
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Ms McDonald said that her government would spend €8m to offset any toll increases for drivers.
“The cost-of-living crisis isn’t over,” Ms McDonald said. “It’s a lived reality for families across Ireland.”
She said that voters should be wary of the “noise and promises from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael”.
“These are the guys that have been putting their hand in your pocket every year for the last five. Spending your money and making your life harder,” Ms McDonald said.
Sinn Féin’s Matt Carthy said in his own constituency of Cavan-Monaghan, families have no choice but to use cars to get around.
Asked if their proposals to cut fuel duty meant they were not focused on dealing with climate change, Ms McDonald denied the charge.
She said that her party has a “very ambitious climate manifesto”, with plans to increase capital spending on public transport like rail as well as road upgrades.
“There has to be a joined-up, holistic approach in respect of the climate crisis and also support for biodiversity measures.”
Ms McDonald’s defence on climate comes after the Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman criticised Sinn Féin over its policies to deal with climate change.
“I have no idea what Sinn Féin’s policy on climate is. They haven’t said a word about it over the last four and a half years,” Mr O’Gorman said last week.
“They talk about every sort of change but climate change.”
This was rebuffed by Sinn Féin’s climate spokesperson, Darren O’Rourke, who described Mr O’Gorman’s claims as “entirely disingenuous”.
“Alongside Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, the Green Party has pursued a punitive approach to climate action, preferring regressive measures that prioritise eco-austerity over just transition,” he said.
