‘Axing the Tax’ would save households almost €8,000 from now to 2030.
The Rural Independent Group of TDs moved a motion in the Dail to scrap the carbon tax. The motion also prohibits the re-introduction of a carbon tax in any form without the passage of a democratic referendum.
Speaking today (Tuesday 26th April) from Leinster House, ahead of tomorrow’s debate, the leader of the Rural Independent Group, Deputy Mattie Mc Grath, asserted:
“The main purpose of the government’s carbon tax is to raise revenues, not lower greenhouse gas emissions. The taxation policy has failed, as it has not delivered on the promise of cost-effective emissions reductions. Instead, it is causing serious and harmful economic effects that are increasing costs, scaring away investment, and deterring entrepreneurship.”
“The carbon tax indisputably adds to the cost of living, making households and families pay higher electricity and fuel bills, costing businesses more to operate, and raising the prices of everything else.”
“Every Irish person’s cost of living is unnecessarily higher because of the carbon tax, which is now a central contributing factor to Ireland’s record cost-of-living increases.”
“The primary purpose of the carbon tax is to act as a disincentive, which can only be effective if members of the public are using more energy than they require and if alternative options are available; however, the tax is not working in Ireland, as many people across all economic sectors are desperately trying to reduce their energy usage and have little to no access to alternatives.”
“Average families would be more than €520 better off this year alone, under our proposals to ‘Axe the Tax’ rather than under the Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, and Green party’s carbon tax. Over the next eight years, households would be almost €8,000 better off under our plan to abolish the carbon tax.”
“The government’s figures show that the carbon tax will cost the average household €521 this year, climbing to €1,225 a year by 2030. However, over the next eight years to 2030, the government tax will cost average households a staggering €7,860, and place an even greater cost on small businesses, farmers, and transport operators.”
“The government will claim that carbon taxes are ring-fenced for climate action policies – but we know that that is simply not the case. In 2021, €652 million was raised in carbon taxes in Ireland, but only €130 million of that was ring-fenced, highlighting that only a small portion of the carbon taxes being raised here are being spent on climate action measures.”
“The carbon tax is unequivocally a tax that punishes households, farmers, transport operators, and small businesses for using electricity, home heating oil, gas, petrol, diesel, and other fuels. It is also a tax that increases the cost of everyday items, especially essential items.”
“That’s why we have been consistent in our opposition to this pernicious, job-destroying tax that penalises every family and hard-working Irish business, particularly trade-exposed and haulage businesses. We invite every TD in the Dail to join us in a vote to rescind the carbon tax, which would otherwise remove a total of €760 million from people’s pockets this year.”
“Our motion, if approved, would remove the carbon tax and the cost burden it has placed on businesses, creating difficulty to compete internationally when other companies abroad are not paying the same tax.”
“Since the last general election, the government has been disingenuous when stating that households would not be worse off under the carbon tax. Households will be brutally targeted, for the latest figures illustrate that tens of thousands of them are not fully compensated under the carbon tax scheme and only some qualify for the fuel allowance scheme.”
“Meanwhile, the average farmer will have to pay over €600 in carbon taxes this year, to operate the family farm. In overall terms, this translates to the government collecting a whopping €64 million in carbon taxes (based on their figures) from farmers’ pockets in 2022, and to boot, farmers will not receive even one cent back from the government’s carbon fund this year.”
“Heating or lighting a home, running a car, or operating a transport business is not a luxury – it is an essential part of daily life, which is being slammed by government-induced carbon taxes. If the Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, and Green party government were even half sincere about reducing pressure on energy prices, it would start by scrapping its carbon tax.”
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