Independent Councillor Mike Cubbard, Mayor of Galway and Galway West candidate, has said the number of people unable to afford a full fill of home heating oil is “deeply alarming” and is calling on the Government to take immediate action to ease the burden on struggling households.
Councillor Cubbard said he is increasingly meeting people who simply cannot afford to heat their homes, with some resorting to filling five-gallon drums of kerosene at forecourt pumps to keep their homes warm.
“The situation I am seeing on the ground is stark. People are making impossible choices between heating and other basic living costs. This is not acceptable in a modern, wealthy society,” he said.
He criticised the latest Government measures, stating that they offer no meaningful relief to households reliant on home heating oil. While the forthcoming carbon tax increase has been temporarily suspended, he noted that this equates to just two cents per litre.
Councillor Cubbard is calling for a temporary reduction in VAT on kerosene from 13.5 per cent to 9 per cent, arguing that similar flexibility has been applied in other EU member states.
“Government claims that this would breach EU VAT rules should not be used as an excuse for inaction. If that is the barrier being presented, then it should be challenged. People need relief now, not at some undefined point in the future,” he said.
He added that any short-term cost to the Exchequer would be manageable given the strength of the economy, pointing to recent figures indicating €22.6 billion in tax revenues in Q1, a 3.4 per cent increase on the previous year.
“We are told there is resilience in the economy. That resilience should be felt in people’s homes. Where there is a will, there is a way. Right now, the political will is not there,” he concluded.
