Fuel prices expected to soar above €2 per litre

Hannah Kate Costello

There are fears that keeping fuel excise cuts in place might not stop prices from soaring above €2 per litre.

It's after the Government's decision to extend the fuel tax cuts until at least October's Budget.

The Dáil is being recalled next Friday to discuss the decision. Minister of State at the Department of Transport Seán Canney said he expected the Dáil would be recalled for one day to seek approval for the decision.

The House is due to be on its summer recess until September 16th.

Canney told RTÉ’s News at One he could not say what would happen in future regarding the issues, but, if necessary, fuel supports would be kept in place until there was “some levelling out and going back to normality” for prices, which have risen back towards €2 a litre this month.

Fine Gael Tipperary TD Michael Murphy told Newstalk he thinks the Government was right not to phase out tax cuts on September 1st: "This was simply not the right time to compound an international fuel crisis with an additional domestic taxing increase."

"I fully accept that these are temporary measures that cannot continue indefinitely."

"But I just felt that the 1st of September was the wrong time to unwind these excise increases."