Soaring petrol and diesel prices will continue to rise unless the Government stops heaping taxes on consumers, a lobby group has warned.
Fuels For Ireland called for an end to “relentless” taxes at the pumps.
But the Government is also under pressure to reduce Ireland’s carbon footprint.
Fuels for Ireland have claimed consumers are being penalised at forecourts around the country and say it is affecting people in rural Ireland who have limited access to public transport and alternative fuel sources.
In the Budget earlier this month, two cents was added to fuel due to carbon tax.
But the FFI is predicting further rises as the Energy Efficiency Obligation Scheme and the Biofuels Obligation Scheme are to be implemented on January 1, 2022.
This all couples with the cost of living rising in other areas for Irish people.
CEO Kevin McPartlan said: “A confluence of events has led to the increase in fuel prices.
“The rising price of gas and the resultant increase in demand for oil, coupled with challenges in the global logistics sector and recent increases in carbon tax, means that the price of petrol and diesel is on an upward trajectory.
“Currently, the consumer is paying approximately €1.70 for a litre of petrol, a euro of which goes directly to government coffers.
“This price will rise further from January 1 when the increases from Minister Eamon Ryan’s Energy Efficiency Obligation Scheme and Biofuels Obligation Scheme kick in with consumers facing a hike of a further three cents per litre.”
McPartlan believes the brunt of all of this is being felt by those who live in rural communities.
He said: “Our members and the fuels we provide ensure children get to school where there are no buses, trams or trains available, and it is not safe to cycle.
“We need this Government to stop piling on unnecessary costs that fall on the shoulders of rural consumers who have no alternative but to use oil to heat their homes and get into their cars early in the morning to go to work.”
FFI works with companies involved in the importation, distribution and marketing of petroleum products and low carbon liquid fuels.
It is made up of Applegreen, Circle K, Corrib Oil, Emo, Inver Energy, Irving Oil, LCC, Maxol, Top Oil and Valero.
