THE Government’s decision to increase toll costs has been condemned locally.
Aontú Local Elections candidate for Limerick City East, Eric Nelligan, has hit out that the latest New Year increase will put further pressure on the cost of living and general inflation.
Commuters, hauliers, and drivers, he told the Limerick Post, are fuming from the toll charges hike on January 1.
“Most tolls rose by 20 cents — a 10 per cent rise. The cost of the majority of tolls is now €2.30, when it was €2 as recently as six months ago,” Mr Nelligan commented.
“This decision by the Government to hike up toll costs is another example of extremely bad timing. There appears to be no effort to reign in transport costs and the impact they have on the cost of living. We recently had a series of excise duty increases pushing up the cost of diesel and petrol as well as the annual Carbon Tax increase.
“These rises are occurring during the most serious cost-of-living crisis in living memory,” the Aontú representative hit out.
“The Government is involved in the highway robbery of citizens who are struggling to get to work. It’s a tax on those who get up early to keep the country going.”
Road hauliers, he continued, have estimated that the changes could see some hauliers burdened with more than €1000 in additional costs per truck over the course of a year.
“This cost will eventually be borne by the consumer, adding to the cost of food and everyday staples. We are already hammered with increased car prices, increased repair costs as well as increasing fuel prices.”
According to a parliamentary answer received by Aontú, the Government is now taking more in VAT on petrol and diesel than ever before.
“€2.3 billion in 2022 and even more now. Tolls and fuel tax are not uncontrolled costs, these are costs that can be controlled yet transport inflation is being pushed up rapidly. Car ownership is a cash cow, and the government is milking it for all its worth,” Mr Nelligan concluded.
