Debate contribution: Cost-of-living Crisis

Debate contribution by Mr Timothy Gaston on 21 April 2026.

MLA

Mr Timothy Gaston

Party at the time

Traditional Unionist Voice

Date

21 April 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Opposition Business

Heading

Cost-of-living Crisis

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5497631

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I accept that it has led to an increase in the price and in the cost of living, but the cost-of-living crisis did not begin only a month ago. Fuel prices have risen since the conflict began, but that does not change the underlying reality that over 50% of the price of every tank of fuel is not driven up by Donald Trump; it is the result of the tax system, which is out of touch with reality and urgently needs to be revised. Fuel duty and VAT together make up the majority of what people pay at the pump. Crucially, VAT is charged as a percentage, so, every time the price of fuel goes up, the tax also rises. Families and businesses pay more, and, without lifting a finger, the Treasury takes more. Motorists, farmers and even homeowners have been taken for granted for far too long. They have carried a grossly unfair share of the national tax burden, and, as the protests of last week showed, growing numbers of people throughout Northern Ireland have had enough. The crisis in the Middle East and the resultant rise in fuel prices has not only increased costs for ordinary people; it has automatically increased VAT receipts for the Government. It is one of the few taxes that rise precisely when people are under the greatest pressure, and yet there is no automatic relief in return. The motion would be far better if, instead of having a pop at Donald Trump, it called for His Majesty's Government to do something concrete about the issue. After all, the SDLP sits on the government Benches. One obvious step would be a reduction in VAT on fuel, giving back to motorists at least some of what the Treasury is now taking in. The reality is that reducing fares on public transport is of little use to people living outside urban areas. I have a member of staff who lives fewer than 30 miles away from this Building. If he wants to come into the office for 9.00 am, he has to leave home before 7.00 am if he is to depend on public transport to get to work. The reality for many is that the car is not one option among many; it is the only practical option. If the Assembly is serious about helping workers and businesses, it will stop blaming events overseas that we can do absolutely nothing about and start demanding that the Government, who take more when prices rise, finally give something back. We saw the protests last week. I believe that they will grow. They not just been about what has happened in the Middle East. Look at the carbon taxes inflicted by this place. We say, "Oh, we can't do anything about it", but we can. The decisions that we take in this Building, chasing crazy net zero policies, all add to the cost and the burden and increase the cost of living.

I will take no lectures on war from Sinn Féin, given its past, whom it associates itself with and whom it still glorifies to this day. Nobody in this Building can do anything about what Donald Trump thinks or what he is doing in Iran, but we can do something when it comes to the policies that we support in this place. We can also lobby the British Government to take immediate action to reduce the cost-of-living burden that is affecting everybody in Northern Ireland.

579 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:21 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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