Monaghan Municipal District Council has voted unanimously to write the Minister of Finance over proposed increases to fuel excise duty coming into effect in the Republic this year. And, the councillor who set down the motion at today's council meeting said that if the minister does not heed the warnings of local representatives about the damage the increases will cause to local fuel retailers, then people along the border should "vote with their feet".
The UK government has opted to postpone its planned duty increases for 12 months meaning petrol and diesel will soon be cheaper to buy on the northern side of the border. Independent councillor Paudge Connolly told Northern Sound that if the Irish government presses ahead with the two excise duty increases during the cost of living crisis then people in Cavan and Monaghan who do not have adequate public transport will go over the border to buy their fuel.
This not only takes income away from local filling stations but, pays money into the UK exchequor and economy, he pointed out. Many filling stations in the Northern Sound region are the heart of many towns and villages, who give significant employment to rural areas, Cllr Connolly added. "I think that continuous pressure needs to be brought to bear [on the government]," Cllr Connolly told Northern Sound, "The Consumer Association of Ireland have been lobbying, the fuel suppliers have been lobbying and I think when the council adds their voice to that, the voice of the elected people when that's added they cannot continue to ignore and particularly now coming up to elections the government have got to start listening to the people. If they don't start listening to the people you've got he different ways for people to respond to the fact the government don't want to respond to the M.D. or to the whole of the people."
