Ireland to Cut Fuel Tax in Response to Protests

UPDATE Apr 12, 2026 1:55 PM CDT

While slamming the protest tactics of farmers and truckers who had blocked access to Ireland's only oil refinery and several depots, Prime Minister Micheál Martin said Sunday that his government plans new fuel tax cuts in response to soaring gas prices caused by the Iran war. The $592 million package, which needs parliamentary approval, would come on top of a tax break about half that size approved last month, the AP reports. It was not immediately clear if the plan would calm the protests, though they eased Sunday in the face of a police crackdown. "It made absolutely no sense what was going on," Martin said. "Higher fuel scarcity and higher fuel prices would actually have been the inevitable outcome of these blockades."

Apr 11, 2026 11:30 AM CDT

Police removed protesters Saturday to reopen Ireland's only oil refinery as a fifth day of disruptive demonstrations over the soaring price of fuel left many gas pumps dry and threatened to cripple transportation across the country. Trucks and tractors continued to block access to vital fuel depots and a major port, and vehicles blocking traffic led to closures of part of the main highway around Dublin, the capital, as well as sections of other major roadways. Police put all officers on notice that they could be called to duty over the weekend, the AP reports, and the military was prepared to use heavy equipment to remove trucks and tractors blocking facilities and roadways as the government renewed talks to resolve the dispute.

The protests began Tuesday and have grown as word spread on social media, leading truckers, farmers, and taxi and bus operators to stage blockades and call for caps on fuel prices or cuts to excise or carbon taxes. Government officials, who had already introduced measures to ease the burden of price rises, have been baffled over the rationale behind the protests because the global price spike is due to the conflict in the Middle East that has restricted oil exports. Prime Minister Micheál Martin said Friday that the country was on the brink of turning tankers away at ports during a global shortage and was in jeopardy of losing its oil supply. "It is unconscionable, it's illogical, it is difficult to comprehend," Martin told RTE.

More than a third of the 1,500 service stations had run out of fuel Saturday, and that number was expected to grow dramatically if the roadblocks remain, Fuels for Ireland's chief executive said. Reopening the Whitegate refinery in County Cork will help restore some service. Two weeks ago, the government approved a range of measures to cut fuel prices, including a temporary reduction in excise taxes on motor fuels, expansion of a rebate for truckers and bus operators that use diesel fuel, and extension of a program that helps low-income people with their heating costs. But those reductions were quickly overtaken as international prices continued to rise.