Our View: Tax cuts on petrol a populist gimmick benefitting the rich

Last week the government decided to extend the reduction in the petrol tax until September 17, at an estimated additional cost of €3.5 million. The tax reduction was to have ended at the end of August, but the government, in a ludicrous decision, extended it for 17 days, supposedly, following discussions with the political parties. We suspect some parties made this demand and the government satisfied them as nobody would be protesting about the lower tax for two extra weeks.

Apparently the...