Mayo TD slams government on carbon tax approach

“To tax petrol when people have no alternative transport is absolutely not the answer”

A Mayo TD has claimed it is hard to fathom why the government remains so wedded to the idea of carbon tax.

Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh said the public was told originally that the tax was a revenue-raising measure and intended to provide an incentive for people to move away from fossil fuels.

“But,” she outlined, “incentives only work where alternatives are in place.”

The Erris-based representative said this argument has been dropped since energy costs began to spiral.

She hit out: “We are now told that revenue is needed for environmental measures.

“People across the State and in rural Ireland know we must tackle climate change and biodiversity loss.

“They have played, and will continue to play, their parts. The approach needs to be fair, equitable and capable of delivering the change that's needed.

“To tax petrol when people have no alternative transport and to tax home heating oil when it is the only option for many people is absolutely not the answer.”

Deputy Conway-Walsh said the government is out of touch with what is happening in rural Ireland and government TDs know that to be the case.

“That is why they are racing around Mayo and telling people they do not believe in the carbon tax increases. Those deputies are either in government or not,” she elaborated.

“It is not that people in rural Ireland do not play their part in climate action. In fact, since 1997 and even before that, people in rural Ireland have more than played their part. They do it in designations of areas of conservation.

“They were promised compensation by government after government but never got it.”