The price of petrol and diesel rose sharply again last month and hit new record highs, according to the latest survey from motoring organisation AA Ireland.
A litre of petrol now costs an average of 161.1 cent, up over 5 cent on February, while the cost of a litre of diesel is now 157.7, up 3.3 cent compared with last month.
According to AA Ireland a combination of oil price rises and higher Government taxes are behind the increase.
AA Ireland policy director Conor Faughnan said while the global financial uncertainty and weak euro were factors outside the State?s control, the Government could look at the impact of taxes on fuel costs.
?We are in the euro but we are also very high per capita oil users in Ireland. Our freight and almost all of our economy is highly dependent on fuel and fuel prices,? he said.
Mr Faughnan called on the Government to examine taxes on motoring fuels saying that high fuel costs were damaging the economy.