My Budget: Unchanged diesel tax ‘gives us a bit of breathing space’

Seán Carroll (60) owns the Top service station in Raheny on the Howth Road and said the lack of any additional tax increase on diesel was a “welcome” relief.

Leaving the tax on diesel unchanged “will give us a bit of breathing space” he said. “We’d have to pass the price increase on to customers and we’re trying to be as competitive as possible,” he said.

Mr Carroll said the expected reductions in the Universal Social Charge was a big win for retailers and local businesses. “That’s going to help people spending,” he said.

“Nowadays we’re as much in the shop and car-washing businesses as we are in the fuel business. Cars now do so much more per gallon, previously you’d have people coming in for a weekly fill, are now coming in every few weeks,” he said.

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He said the €300 million Brexit loan scheme for SMEs was positive for smaller businesses, but “we would have invested a significant amount over the last 12 months, so we won’t be availing of that”.

“Overall it just seemed to be a budget to keep things ticking on for the next 18 months or so.”