Stop collecting carbon tax to ease fuel crisis - Mayo councillor's plea

THE government is being asked to immediately stop the collection of carbon tax.

The relief is being sought to take the pressure off people as fuel prices rise.

A motion brought before the monthly meeting of Mayo County Council on Monday received full support. Councillor Neil Cruise requested that the collection of carbon tax stops immediately and for the government to only consider its reinstatement on a phased basis, four to six months after the ending of Russia's aggression towards the people of Ukraine.

Alot of people are experiencing fuel poverty, said Councillor Cruise. He had spoken with a delivery man who that week delivered oil to three homes where it had to be paid for by the SVP, a service they never had to avail of before.

The government had very little control over things like excise duty, he said, but the carbon tax was one they could stop and it would take pressure off people.

Seconding the motion, Councillor Donna Sheridan said people can't afford heating oil or to drive to work.

Councillor John O'Hara agreed that it was impossible and something had to be done if rural Ireland is to survive as everything from fuel to fertiliser has doubled and in some cases trebled in price.

Councillor John O'Malley said the tax was not acceptable and he would say not to phase it in again.

The country has wind all around it but we aren't harnessing enough of it. Then we had the situation where we were importing briquettes from another country that were inferior to what we had ourselves, and all the carbon it takes to bring them here.

He knew of people who were scrapping money together to get coal before the price goes up again.