The top priority for voters is energy costs
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Why are energy costs the top priority for voters ahead of Budget 2027?
The Clare Byrne Show on Newstalk. With Aviva Insurance. Well, the top priority for voters ahead of Budget 2027, perhaps unsurprisingly, it's energy costs. The latest polls suggest people want government help as bills continue to rise. Paul Hosford is with me, Deputy Political Editor with The Irish Examiner, and Carol Cassan, Head of Public Sector Services and Economics at the Irish Farm Accounts Cooperative. And Paul, I'll come to you first. I mean, it's clear now that That carbon tax, it would seem, is going to be cut on home heating oil. In your view, is fuel and rising fuel costs, is that the top priority for government ahead of the budget?
Good morning, Clare. Yeah, I suppose in the last week and a half before the budget, you often talk about the direction of travel and the direction of travel here is very much focused on uh, fuel, uh, home heating oil and energy supports. And I think you look at the Irish times poll today on, on what people want, uh, that's borne out 23% said they want energy or heating sports. 12% said that they want exercise, uh, duty cuts extended. Uh, and, uh, you know, you go beyond that, uh, something as structural, uh, that we've heard a lot about as childcare. There's only 8%.
How does the carbon tax on home heating oil influence the upcoming budget?
So this is very much something that I think the government feels can be done. You know, we were at the ploughing last week and both Micheál Martin and Simon Harris made points to say it in their press conferences that decoupling the carbon tax from home heating oil is something that would be done. I don't think there's any real secret around, you know, government. We talk about the budgetary process being kind of under lock and key. I don't think there's any real secret at this point that carbon tax on home heating oil is something that is being looked at as a potential kind of cornerstone of this year's budget.
Yeah, but Paul, can I ask you now, given that there is such a focus on dealing with fuel costs, both at the pumps and the home heating oil, as you say there, does that mean that there will be less money to play with for other things that government might have thought they could address or can it all be done?
Yeah, well, I think I mean, the briefing since July when the summary economic statement was published was that this was going to be a tighter budget and that if ministers wanted new spending, they would have to find efficiencies or they would have to find savings within their departments, within their existing spending envelopes. I think one of the things that kind of gets lost in the run-up to a budget is that it is a series of decisions. If you choose to do one thing with money, you will not have to do Another thing, we've been kind of lucky in Ireland that we've run huge surpluses over the last couple of years where spending could go across the board. But with that tightening, yeah, there's no hiding from the fact that, you know, if you forego tax intake, if you cut the carbon tax or remove the carbon tax from home heating oil and you keep excise duty cuts from kicking in in November and December, then you will be foregoing money and that will
change the parameters of what you have to do next year. And that's something that I suppose the government can't really hide from, but it is obviously making that determination that this is the pinch point. Simon Harris talked about bottlenecks yesterday.
What trade‑offs will the government face between fuel relief and other spending?
This is where people are feeling the pinch or where they're most acutely aware that they're feeling the pinch. And the government has obviously, I suppose, calculated that this is the one that they can help with in the most kind of immediate way, in the way that will be felt most.
Well, we were told that what was going on in Iran was going to be short-lived. We just look at what's happening at the UN General Assembly with the Iranians walking out the day before yesterday and last night the Americans walked out when... the Iranians started talking. I mean, there's no end to that in sight and you just wonder what the government calculation is here, Paul, around how long these supports might be needed, particularly in relation to the very expensive excise cuts on fuel.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
Why are energy costs the top priority for voters ahead of Budget 2027?
0:01–1:23
2
How does the carbon tax on home heating oil influence the upcoming budget?
1:23–3:34
3
What trade‑offs will the government face between fuel relief and other spending?
3:34–5:22
4
How might international energy shocks affect Ireland’s budget decisions?
5:22–6:25
5
Which regions rely most on home heating oil and why does it matter?
6:25–8:15
6
What are the financial gaps for households needing kerosene this winter?
8:15–9:19
7
Can adjustments to carbon tax or VAT provide meaningful relief for oil users?
9:19–10:38
8
How can Ireland transition away from fossil‑fuel heating while protecting vulnerable families?
10:38–11:38