Someone sent me a video last week of an independent TD (member of parliament) giving a speech to Dáil Éireann (the Irish parliament) about the breakdown in fuel prices. He said that out of every €100 of petrol (gas) sold, €39.92 goes to the manufacturer, €3.08 goes to the retailer, and €57.00 goes to the government, despite the government not having any involvement in the manufacture or selling of the fuel.
Added to that is the way they try to tax older, less economical cars off the road. The other day I was reading YouTube comments about what a bargain E39 5-Series BMWs are a the moment. It's true, I can buy one for around €3k, but the road tax on the 3.0 litre gas model is €1,400/year. The tax scale was changed in 2008, so older cars with big engines are harder to sell when they get to this price level. The exception is "vintage" cars, i.e. ones that are 30 years old or more. I could tax, for example, an old Mustang with a massive V8 engine for €56/year. Of course, I'd still have to fill it with heavily taxed fuel!
BTW. There are still plenty of potholes in the roads.