asked the Minister for Finance the amount of extra revenue that has accured to the Exchequer since 1974 as a result of the petrol crisis; and the percentage of the cost of various refined oils that is reflected by the increased cost of crude oil.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Tax Receipts.
19.
Overall tax receipts in the period since the oil crisis of autumn 1973, have been considerably below what might have been expected but for the crisis. It is not possible to quantify the exact impact on each category of revenue because of the widespread and complicated effects of the crisis on our economy.
The information regarding oil costs, sought in the second part of the Deputy's question, is not a matter for my Department and in that regard I would refer him to the Minister for Transport and Power.
Would the Minister agree that the implication of his tax proposals on petrol prices contributed more to the recession than the increase to the oil producing countries
No, I would not. It is very interesting to note that in every year in the 12 years before we took office the tax as a percentage of price per gallon of premium petrol was much higher than it is today.
I thought the Minister did not have information in relation to the question.