Fresh fuel protests ‘inevitable’ as Irish tax deadline approaches

A Cork spokesperson for the association told the Irish Examiner that the IRHA would prefer to resolve the dispute through negotiations. However, the organisation may not be able to restrain individual hauliers who decide to take action independently.

“Our preference is for sitting around the table with government ministers. We are meeting with minister Darragh O’Brien this week,” the spokesperson said. 

“But the essence of it is we can’t hold back the tide of protests at every time. At the moment it feels like our fingers are in the dam. That if hauliers want to take to the roads again and block things down, they will do so out of desperation.”

The comments do not amount to a formal announcement of IRHA-organised protest action. Instead, they suggest that renewed demonstrations or blockades could develop beyond the association’s control if operators believe negotiations have failed.

First tax increase due on 1 September

The Irish Government temporarily reduced taxation on diesel by a combined 32 cents per litre following the fuel-price shock and nationwide demonstrations earlier this year. Those reductions are now scheduled to be reversed in four stages between September and December.

The first step on 1 September will restore eight cents of mineral oil tax and the two-cent National Oil Reserves Agency levy, adding approximately 10 cents to a litre of diesel.

Further increases of eight cents, seven cents and seven cents are planned for 1 October, 1 November and 1 December respectively. The full 32-cent reduction will therefore have been removed by the end of the year, unless the Government changes course.

As Trans.iNFO reported last week, diesel was already averaging €1.92 per litre in August, following a 19-cent increase in one month.

Qualifying operators face an additional change from October. The maximum Diesel Rebate Scheme repayment is scheduled to fall from 12 cents to 7.5 cents per litre on 1 October.

Pressure spreads beyond haulage

The IRHA is not alone in demanding a rethink. The Irish Petrol Retailers Association has called for all planned fuel increases to be cancelled for 12 months, arguing that diesel prices have already risen by more than 20 cents per litre since the end of June.

The retailers’ association also warned that higher Irish prices could encourage drivers in border counties to buy fuel in Northern Ireland, weakening local filling stations and the rural communities that depend on them. IPRA

Fuels for Ireland has also called for the September increase to be postponed. The industry body warned that the combination of rising wholesale costs and restored taxation could push diesel above €2 per litre.

Government has left room for review

The Government argues that phasing in the increases avoids a sudden 32-cent “cliff edge” for diesel users. However, Tánaiste and Finance Minister Simon Harris has said market conditions will continue to be monitored, leaving open the possibility of another intervention.

Nevertheless, the Government’s stated intention remains to restore the duties fully by December. Harris has also taken a firm position on disruptive protests, saying that while peaceful protest is legitimate, immobilising other people or taking control of critical infrastructure is not acceptable.

Previous blockades disrupted fuel supplies

The warning carries particular weight because April’s demonstrations went far beyond conventional roadside protests. Trucks and tractors blockaded fuel terminals, ports and the Whitegate refinery, while convoys disrupted motorways and brought parts of central Dublin to a standstill.

According to RTÉ, hundreds of filling stations ran out of diesel or petrol, while supply chains required several days to recover after the blockades ended.

IRHA president Ger Hyland has urged the Government to postpone withdrawing the supports until greater stability returns to international energy markets. He said rising fuel prices are hitting operators while their other costs remain exceptionally high.

The association has also pointed to increasing tolls, insurance premiums, Road Safety Authority charges, vehicle-testing costs and driver shortages. Its argument is that the September tax rise would land on an industry already struggling with several simultaneous cost pressures.

The IRHA is expected to raise the issue during its meeting with Darragh O’Brien this week and at its annual conference in Killarney on 4–5 September. The outcome of those talks could determine whether the dispute remains at the negotiating table or returns to Ireland’s roads.