Sir, – Reports and comments so far on this issue have been a little short on facts. Charles Haughey had nothing whatever to do with it, as was alleged, and leisure sailors are by no means all “well-heeled”.
Leisure craft in the UK and Ireland, like all other vessels, have always used marked diesel — “white” diesel is taxed as a road fuel. It was not a special concession, any more than it is now for cement mixers, generators and fork lift trucks. But it came under attack from Brussels, since most EU countries charge road price to leisure craft. In 2008, the UK and Ireland were forced to charge the extra tax. The UK then put in place a two tier pricing system, where leisure craft were charged road price for red diesel at the point of purchase. Ireland opted for an “honesty box” system, which was poorly publicised and has not stood up to EU audit. Neither country’s Revenue actually wanted to collect the tax. But it would have made no difference if Ireland had copied the UK and extracted every cent due, because the British are also being taken to court along with the Irish, to be forced to switch leisure craft to white diesel. And why should they not? Simply because white diesel is completely unobtainable on quaysides here and in many places in Britain, and will largely remain so.
The number of places around the Irish coast where leisure craft can refuel will be reduced from about 60 to as few as six. This is because even the minority of marinas that sell diesel at all supply most of it to fishing and commercial vessels; because white diesel is much more price-sensitive and therefore less profitable than green; and because we cannot assume that the State, or businesses, will invest resources in a solution. But how would car enthusiasts feel about having nine filling stations out of 10 closed by arbitrary decree? This has nothing to do with price. It is all about availability. Green diesel is all there is, short of lugging five gallon cans by hand – and remember we are travelling by boat, we don’t have a car with us.
On Ireland’s long and exposed west coast there will be no sources of fuel, small boats will go to sea with insufficient reserves, and lives will be put at risk. It is time for co-operation and creative thinking, not slipshod reporting and cheap jibes. – Yours, etc,
NORMAN KEAN
Burren, Kilbrittain, Co Cork,