Mayo motorists 'still haunted by the ghost of the Green party' - TD
Aontú Leader Peadar Tóibín has castigated the government for continuing the attack on drivers which, he stated, was instigated by the Green Party.
Deputy Tóibín outlined: “The ghost of the Green Party is still haunting motorists as they continued to get hammered with petrol, diesel and toll increases.
"This month sees an increase in many motorway tolls throughout the country.
"Drivers will pay an extra five cent per litre of fuel.
"Up to 65 cent of the price of a litre of diesel is now government taxes and 60 cent of the price of a litre of petrol is now government taxes.
"Irish drivers are paying for more than any other EU country in fuel taxes.
"According to an answer to a parliamentary question received by Aontú, the Irish government made €4.1billion in fuel taxes last year.
"This is the highest figure ever. It comes in the middle of a cost of living crisis.
"We also found out that the state made just under €1b. in motor tax last year and just under €2b. in VAT and VRT on cars last year.
"The State is also raking in hundreds of millions of euro on tolls for roads that we already own each year.
"This policy of using the stick on drivers is a hang over from the Green Party being in government.
"It was one of the reasons that they were hammered in the last election. This government promised a new approached but are delivering the same old assault on drivers.
"Incredibly it was revealed in an freedom of information request from the Department of Transport that there will be no new public transport capacity provision this year.
"So the government is using the stick to get people out of cars but are not providing extra capacity to allow that to happen. The result is punitive costs for drivers.
"This policy is having serious consequences. Many car drivers are finding it difficult to fill their tanks with fuel to get to work.
"Some families are one serious repair away from not being able to make ends meet. Driving is becoming beyond reach of some working families.
"Today the Road Safety Authority indicated that the numbers of cars that pass their test has fallen below 50% and the number of highly defective cars that fail dangerously is increasing.
"There are a number of reasons for this, but one of them is the fact that some drivers are in the jaws of the cost of living crisis and are unable to spend the necessary money on the up keep of their car.
"Let me be clear no car that is defective should be on the road. But the government must ask itself the question, what role do they have in this dangerous outcome?”