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File photo Sasko Lazarov/Rollingnews.ie

The price of fuel is going down but motorists are still paying far more than they did last year

The AA says it is concerned that, for every litre of petrol purchased, 63.67% goes to the government.

THE PRICE OF fuel in Ireland has dropped for a second successive month, and is now the lowest it has been all year according to the latest monthly survey from AA Ireland.

A litre of petrol costs, on average, 135.1c while diesel costs on average 123.5c per litre. The cost of petrol has fallen 1c since last month, and diesel has fallen over 2c.

However, as a whole, the cost of fuel in Ireland has risen significantly in the last 12 months.

According to the AA’s director of Consumer Affairs Conor Faughnan, the fall in fuel prices in the last two months “only goes so far in counteracting a number of increases that we have seen in recent months”.

Faughnan said: “All this means that motorists are paying just under €10 more month for petrol than they would have 12 months ago, or forking out an additional €15 per month compared to last year’s prices if they own a diesel vehicle.”

In line with the drop in fuel prices this month, the AA noted a significant decrease in the cost of a barrel of oil. In April, a barrel cost $55.85. This month, it costs $53.34.

Fuel tax

Despite this fall in prices, the AA has reiterated its concerns around the tax levels imposed on fuel spend.

The AA’s fuel prices survey found that tax accounts for 63.67% of the current price of a litre of petrol and 59.10% of the price of a litre of diesel.

Faughnan said that people in rural areas were unfairly “punished” due to the high fuel tax rates.

He said: “For many people in Ireland driving is a necessity due to an absence of reliable public transport, particularly in rural areas, or because the nature of their employment requires that they have access to a car.

These people should not be punished by way of excessive taxation because they need a car to get to commute or access reliable employment.

“During the recession era the tax on fuel was allowed to rise in response to the emergency situation, but despite the change in Ireland’s fortunes motorists are still being taxed to emergency standards,” Faughnan added.

Read: Petrol prices drop for first time in six months

Read: Filling your car is becoming very, very expensive – here’s why

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52 Comments
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    Mute Yenreit
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    May 24th 2017, 12:38 PM

    The money for enda kenny’s pension and pay-off has to come from somewhere.
    Bertie and Brian need their monthly state cheques too.

    232
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    Mute abcyz
    Favourite abcyz
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    May 24th 2017, 7:55 PM

    @Yenreit: The former bank regulator with his 640,000 + lump sum & 140,000 + euro annual pension. Some punishment. Remember Anglo & what just happened at the courts? Remember Anglo tapes?

    24
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    Mute Leroy
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    May 24th 2017, 10:42 PM

    @Yenreit: Also money for the 2.2 million people that claim welfare…It all has to come from somewhere

    4
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    Mute Alan Ball
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    May 24th 2017, 12:35 PM

    Something taxed to the hilt in this country that is so vital to its citizens is hardly surprising.

    115
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    Mute Dáithí Ó Raghallaigh
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    May 24th 2017, 12:34 PM

    like landlords , greed , everyone is in a rush to send us back into a recession.

    130
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    Mute Kal Ipers
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    May 24th 2017, 12:38 PM

    @Dáithí Ó Raghallaigh: Landlords also pay more in taxes than they make themselves. Many landlords rent at a loss so aren’t greedy.

    81
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    Mute Kal Ipers
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    May 24th 2017, 12:38 PM

    @Dáithí Ó Raghallaigh: Landlords also pay more in taxes than they make themselves. Many landlords rent at a loss so aren’t greedy.

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    Mute OnTheOutside
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    May 24th 2017, 12:46 PM

    @Kal Ipers: Why would any landlord operate at a loss? Why.. Clearly your talking crap.

    49
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    Mute Dáithí Ó Raghallaigh
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    May 24th 2017, 12:50 PM

    @Kal Ipers: no like every business your taxed on profit only..you cant be taxed if your not making profit….landlord throw that out there to mislead.

    25
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    Mute Dáithí Ó Raghallaigh
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    May 24th 2017, 12:51 PM

    @Dáithí Ó Raghallaigh: no like every business your taxed on profit only..you cant be taxed if your not making profit….landlord throw that out there to mislead.

    10
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    Mute Niallers
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    May 24th 2017, 1:04 PM

    @Dáithí Ó Raghallaigh: The only landlord that makes money is one that hasn’t a mortgage on it. It’s not profit that is taxed it’s all income.
    All income from rent is taxed at approx 50%.

    32
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    Mute Kal Ipers
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    May 24th 2017, 1:10 PM

    @Dáithí Ó Raghallaigh: You pay tax on rental income whether you make.money or not.

    25
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    Mute Kal Ipers
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    May 24th 2017, 1:11 PM

    @Dáithí Ó Raghallaigh: You pay tax on rental income whether you make.money or not.

    11
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    Mute Brendan Hughes
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    May 24th 2017, 1:12 PM

    @Niallers: and the mortgage is paid off the after tax income. You can not write off expenses against tax unless you are a letting agency/ vulture fund landlord. Non landlords havent a clue.

    23
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    Mute Dáithí Ó Raghallaigh
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    May 24th 2017, 1:25 PM
    3
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    Mute Ben Moten
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    May 24th 2017, 1:50 PM

    @Kal Ipers:

    The concept that landlords purchase a property to rent and expect the rental income to service the mortgage in full is ridiculous and unsustainable from the onset.
    The current situation is that mortgages are cheaper than rents.

    7
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    Mute Kal Ipers
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    May 24th 2017, 2:02 PM

    @Ben Moten: The current situation is the normal situation. Rents are normally higher than mortgages it is unusual for anything else.

    9
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    Mute P.J. Nolan
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    May 24th 2017, 3:30 PM

    @Dáithí Ó Raghallaigh:
    39-40% of the rent someone pays is available to a landlord to cover the mortgage.

    1
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    Mute cholly appleseed
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    May 24th 2017, 3:44 PM

    @OnTheOutside: my rental property operates at a loss and is in negative equity. I can assure you it operates at a loss

    9
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    Mute An_Beal_Bocht
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    May 24th 2017, 4:59 PM

    @Kal Ipers: Rubbish, what about the equity in the house that is all the time growing for the landlord, there’s no tax on that. Having the rent more than the mortgage is greed, is it not enough to service the mortgage and you get a massive asset at the end no?

    4
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    Mute P.J. Nolan
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    May 24th 2017, 5:28 PM

    @An_Beal_Bocht:
    Wrong, you do pay tax on the asset, if you sell it or give it to your kids you pay capital gains tax at 33%. Also you pay LPT which is not a tax deductable expense so you pay tax on the money you used to pay the tax.

    3
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    Mute WilhelminaMCallaghan
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    May 24th 2017, 6:54 PM

    @Dáithí Ó Raghallaigh: back ? Where have you been . We are in an endless double dip recession for a long haul . Maybe your prospects are better but many of us has seen some 7 years or more of pure hell

    2
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    Mute WilhelminaMCallaghan
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    May 24th 2017, 6:59 PM

    @Kal Ipers: do not ever assume that is is normality . Because it is not . Normality is when your wages are enough to live with providing food clothing a roof above the head and peace of mind paying your bills . This is far far from normality all of it , is not normality is greed of this stupid money grabbing plastic Tory government and their false recovery milk from the working poor to make their own kind Richer . Lift stealth taxes and bring a stupid amount of new charges for services we don’t even have . This is exploiting people . None of them has the peoples best interest at heart

    3
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    Mute Eoghain Kenneally
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    May 24th 2017, 8:37 PM

    @Niallers: ha no, a landlord is only taxed on profit. Income less expenses equals profit. If a landlord has enough allowable expenses they don’t pay any tax. Mortgage interest is an allowable expenses, so landlords with a mortgage probably pays less tax then one who doesn’t. You also have to factor in that at the end of the mortgages life you have an asset worth hundreds of thousands.

    1
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    Mute P.J. Nolan
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    May 24th 2017, 9:04 PM

    @P.J. Nolan:
    30-40%

    1
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    Mute P.J. Nolan
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    May 24th 2017, 9:11 PM

    @Eoghain Kenneally:
    Not all expenses are tax deductable and only a portion of the mortgage interest is deductable so its perfectly possible to get a tax bill even though there is no profit.

    1
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    Mute Quentin Moriarty
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    May 24th 2017, 12:45 PM

    Organise a rally so AA
    I’ll be there

    Greatest rip off of all time and people moan about water charges

    62
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    Mute John003
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    May 24th 2017, 12:49 PM

    As far as I know the tax on petrol and diesel is not a percentage as in most other consumer items….The excise rate adjusts if the price goes down to get the same amount in tax…..Over 60% of the cost of fuel is tax…..

    36
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    Mute Nick Allen
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    May 24th 2017, 1:10 PM

    @Quentin Moriarty:

    A gallon of petrol is about 5.30 euro, a gallon of Guinness is about 40euro. Considering the cost differential in the production of these products I would suggest that petrol is not the biggest rip off in Ireland

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    Mute Quentin Moriarty
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    May 24th 2017, 7:33 PM

    @Nick Allen: factor in cost of nct ,oil, vat on parts ,insurance ,motor tax ,tolls etc and you will find the stealth taxes associated with fuel and motoring outstrips the Guinness example as the greatest rip off

    7
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    Mute John B
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    May 24th 2017, 12:59 PM

    People in rural areas are punished by higher fuel prices? Are they also punished by the lower housing and rental costs?

    50
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    Mute Declan Moran
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    May 24th 2017, 1:53 PM

    @John B: Ffs there’s always one pr1ck, congrats

    27
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    Mute Laurence O Neill
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    May 24th 2017, 12:56 PM

    I pay 75 to 80 a week it makes me sick to the bone knowing the government get at least 40 euro a week from me

    45
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    Mute Tweety McTweeter
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    May 24th 2017, 1:26 PM

    Any what about other taxes? I’m sure they get much more than that off you

    24
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    Mute Juan Venegas
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    May 24th 2017, 1:35 PM

    @Laurence O Neill: You pay your income taxes, then taxes for purchases from money in which you have already paid taxes. You literally get the smallest piece of the pie. I don’t know how come they don’t call it pimping. This is what it is.

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    Mute WilhelminaMCallaghan
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    May 24th 2017, 8:16 PM

    @Juan Venegas: yep and for those who can retire they rob you again of your money and so I hear again of your descendants . They can steal the house of you

    2
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    Mute WilhelminaMCallaghan
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    May 24th 2017, 8:27 PM

    @Laurence O Neill: try 5k only on the tax insurance and stupid nct
    And some 30k on petrol alone

    2
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    Mute Figo murphy
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    May 24th 2017, 1:25 PM

    And road tax on top of this! Amazing how they get away with it.

    31
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    Mute Yenreit
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    May 24th 2017, 1:39 PM

    @Figo murphy: Don’t forget your NCT, the National Car Tax.

    30
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    Mute Dub_Right
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    May 24th 2017, 2:28 PM

    @Figo murphy: Well someone has to pay for Irish water with their Road tax…

    13
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    Mute Nick Allen
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    May 24th 2017, 2:36 PM

    @Yenreit:

    Although u might think it sounds like a good thing to post the NCT is not a tax

    1
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    Mute WilhelminaMCallaghan
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    May 24th 2017, 8:14 PM

    @Yenreit: nct is a money racket . National car test is not about emissions if when you pass it does not alter the price of your robbery Motortax .
    It is also not about safety if it ask me to lie and pretend that my car carry passengers and runs around empty and not with the things I need inside and my cargo .
    I am yet to see ONE single measure of the RSA that has benefited me or made my life easier .
    In a normal Ireland long ago I was able to afford food and bills and fuel pay my car tax and insurance in one go in January .
    Because car tax and insurance were not daylight robbery I could afford to look after my car a lot better as I do not need an nct to tell me what is wrong with my car I have very good mechanics , now is this nonsensical crap nanny estate bull.

    5
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    Mute WilhelminaMCallaghan
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    May 24th 2017, 8:22 PM

    @Figo murphy: that’s them trying to push people into buy new cars to feed the rich overly payed friends of auto industry that’s what the RSA is all about and the Motortax and insurance companies. “Buy a new car . ”
    That exclude the people who really need a car and will not be given finance for a second hand car nor be insured, all cars from the year 2000 onwards are good cars I don’t need nor want a new car . They are super expensive and do not fit what I need to carry but they are also very ugly cars all look same like almonds with wheels I live in a country with low speed limits and gale force wind , why the hell would I buy an aerodynamic almond , I do not intent to fly . Just to get to work.

    6
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    Mute @mdmak33
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    May 24th 2017, 1:37 PM

    Public pensions too high.

    23
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    Mute Aidan Power
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    May 24th 2017, 6:28 PM

    I can understand why people don’t want to work. They are better off on Social Welfare. Why would you want to work when you can sit back and get generous social welfare payments, free rent and medical care.

    12
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    Mute Peter Cavey
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    May 24th 2017, 12:28 PM

    Down is good.

    9
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    Mute sean o'dhubhghaill
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    May 24th 2017, 3:10 PM

    I’ve got a great idea. Scrap all taxes and privatise EVERYTHING.

    6
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    Mute Pat O'Leary
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    May 24th 2017, 7:28 PM

    Go electric, I did with Nissan Leaf – take great pleasure in giving our Gov paymasters ZERO in tax on petrol weekly.

    5
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    Mute WilhelminaMCallaghan
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    May 24th 2017, 7:58 PM

    @Pat O’Leary: that neither would get me as far as home nor fit for purpose. Aside that anything over 2004 no thank you.

    2
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    Mute JJ Ryan
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    May 24th 2017, 11:09 PM

    It is an easy tax for the government so they will make no changes. This will never change no matter which of the corrupt parties are in power

    2
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    Mute soussvide
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    May 25th 2017, 12:08 AM

    Once again the motorist is being penalised, the motorist’s who choose to drive older cars are being penalised even more!

    1
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    Mute Anthony Ross
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    May 25th 2017, 6:10 AM

    Well well

    1
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