Cork South West Independent TD Michael Collins has criticised TDs who voted down a motion last night from himself and his Rural Independent Group to axe the carbon tax. The carbon tax is set to increase from this Sunday May 1st.
He had argued that by axing the carbon tax it would put €520 back into households' pockets this year but he said Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael voted to make certain rural dwellers, working people and the poor pay for he called the 'Green Party's extremist climate action policies'
'We provided all TDs with the option to scrap the crippling carbon tax, which is directly driving up the costs of all fuels, electricity, and gas. Axing the Tax would save households almost €8,000 from now to 2030, yet Fiann Fáil, Fine Gael, the Greens, and Social Democrats TDs all voted to keep the tax in place despite its severe impact,' said Deputy Collins outside Leinster house today.
'Our motion if passed, would not only save motorists, households, farmers, small businesses, and transport operators a significant amount of money each week but it also prohibited the re-introduction of a carbon tax in any form, without the passage of a democratic referendum. The TDs who opposed our motion demonstrated that they did not want to give the people a vote on the carbon tax.'
Deputy Collins said that he and his colleagues in the Rural Independent group have been consistent in their outright opposition to the carbon tax.
'This tax is all about raising government revenues and nothing to do with lowering greenhouse gas emissions. The policy has failed and its only impact has been to make people poorer. While government TDs speak of ‘needing to do something’ to tackle the cost-of-living crisis, they then arrive in the Dail last night and ‘do’ the exact opposite. Their actions are deeply disingenuous, as they voted to ensure the average Irish family will be more than €520 worse off this year alone, and over €8,000 worse off under the carbon tax to 2030.'
He added that 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.Eliminating the carbon tax now would immediately reduce the costs of heating or lighting a home, running a car, or operating a transport business – which is an essential part of daily life. The government showed last night that they are not genuinely interested in reducing these costs.'
'Fianna Fail and Fine Gael TDs are determined to hold onto power with the Greens for self-serving reasons and will do just about anything, including increasing crippling taxes on the public to do so.The lack of sincerity on the part of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, and Green party together with the Social Democrats on addressing the cost-of-living crisis in Ireland is infuriating and shows that they are completely out of touch with the realities being faced by ordinary people every day,' he concluded.
