21/08/2026
GIVE US A BREAK. SERIOUSLY.
Let’s put this into perspective.
Back in December 2010, when Carbon Tax was first introduced, the price of oil was around $85–$91 a barrel, and diesel in Ireland was around €1.30 per litre.
Fast forward to August 2026.
The price of oil is around the same level, yet diesel is now around €1.90 per litre (and that’s before the planned reinstatement of fuel taxes and levies that were temporarily reduced).
Once those are fully restored, the cost at the pump could move towards €2.30+ per litre.
And it doesn’t stop there.
By 2030, with further increases in Carbon Tax, renewable fuel obligations, levies, excise and VAT, we could be looking at diesel approaching €2.60 per litre, even if the underlying price of oil hasn’t increased.
Think about that...
The same barrel of oil, but potentially DOUBLE the price at the pump.
Why? Because an increasing proportion of what we pay is no longer the cost of the oil - it’s taxes, levies, obligations and policy.
And who ultimately pays?
It's the haulier, the manufacturer, the farmer, the retailer - and ultimately, the consumer.
The commercial transport industry is being asked to carry an ever-increasing burden in the name of the green transition.
We are not against the green transition. We want cleaner trucks, better technology and reduced emissions.
We absolutely want to do our bit, but there has to be a realistic pathway.
You can't keep increasing the cost of operating a truck while simultaneously expecting the transport industry to keep food on supermarket shelves, medicines in hospitals, materials on construction sites and Irish businesses moving.
The green policies designed to protect tomorrow can't be allowed to destroy the businesses making today possible.
We are being asked to help fund enormous energy-efficiency and retrofitting programmes, while commercial vehicles are being taxed and levied more and more heavily.
A truck can consume in one week what some homes consume in fuel over an entire year, yet the commercial operator is expected to simply absorb every additional charge.
How is that sustainable?
We don’t want special treatment; we want fair treatment.
We want the Government and EU to recognise that commercial transport isn't a luxury, it's critical infrastructure.
If Irish haulage collapses, then Ireland doesn’t stop tomorrow - it stops today.
Protect Irish haulage.
Protect Irish businesses.
Protect the cost of living.
We will do our bit for a cleaner future and, when electric trucks are both commercially viable with a supporting infrastructure, we will switch - but for now, DIESEL is the "Fuel of Commerce".
So please… GIVE US A BREAK.
IRHA
The voice of Irish road transport.
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📞 +35318013380