Fuel Excise Cuts: Industry Warns Of €2 Petrol Protests

Fears grow over another fuel protest

Ireland’s liquid fuel industry body has warned the Government is “sleepwalking into a major problem” by unwinding fuel excise cuts from next month.

Fuels for Ireland chief executive Kevin McPartlan said on Monday that the rhetoric from those behind earlier fuel protests is hardening, and called on Taoiseach Micheál Martin to recall the Dáil to scrap the plan.

Why the fuel excise timetable matters

Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Sharon Tobin, McPartlan said the warning signs are already visible. The temporary reductions stand at 32c on a litre of diesel and 27c on petrol after the Government increased them in April, and are due to be reversed in four phases between September and December. Ministers say the timetable is under review, with pump prices staying stubbornly high.

"They say that ‘if it gets to €2, we’re back on the streets’. The volume of social media posts on this, and the tone of them, are both increasing … I think we’re sleepwalking into a major problem."
- Kevin McPartlan, Fuels for Ireland

He stopped short of arguing for permanent tax cuts. “I’m not foolish enough to suggest that we need tax reductions on fuel,” he said, “but we do need to say we have an emergency right now.” It is a familiar note for households already facing record electricity arrears, with the cost of living in Ireland back on the agenda before the Budget.

His ask is procedural. He points to Standing Order 26, which allows the Taoiseach to have the Dáil recalled for a stated purpose: “It just needs to be one quick meeting where they can say, ‘listen, we’re going to just reverse that plan’.” The first phase is still scheduled for September.

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