Danny Healy-Rae warns against carbon tax as energy costs bite
Danny Healy-Rae addressed the minister, criticising the carbon tax amid rising energy and fuel costs and urging immediate tax relief. He argued that the carbon tax and higher tax take are intensifying pressure on households and farmers and called for dropping the carbon tax now.
Criticism of the carbon tax
He said every man and woman, employed or not, is under "savage pressure" from higher costs and that adding the carbon tax was the wrong response. He noted that the government is taking more tax from fuel now than before the global oil price rise and contrasted this with other countries that have reduced tax take instead.
Household and travel costs
He highlighted the cost of energy, the cost of travelling, and the expense of diesel, petrol and home heating oil as drivers of the current squeeze on families. He warned that increased taxes on fuel and energy deepen the strain on working-class people.
Impact on farmers and agricultural costs
He said farmers are "paralysed" by extra costs and that higher production costs force farmers to demand more for produce, creating a "merry-go-round" of rising prices for consumers. He suggested the minister could subsidise fertiliser or forego anti-dumping levies, but claimed such measures are blocked by the Greens.
Call for immediate tax relief
He urged the minister to "forget the carbon tax for now" and reduce the tax take as a way to relieve pressure. He argued that acting now to drop the carbon tax would have helped households and farmers cope with the extreme increases in energy and fuel prices.
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I'm glad to get the opportunity and to thank Deputy Barrett for his motion. Look, Minister, every man and woman working and even not employed, everyone is under savage pressure. And you know the reason for it. The cost of energy, the cost of travelling, the cost of the expense of diesel and petrol and home heating oil. And, I mean, it has gone up and things are so extreme now. And there was one way to deal with it and that was not to add the carbon tax. And he had a greater take of tax now from fuel than he had before the worldwide increase of oil came on. But here tax taking is much more. So other countries have reduced the amount of tax they're taking and they're not insisting in taking more carbon tax. But here, here held to ransom here and here hands are tied behind your back by the Greens. They're not longing to touch or reduce the cost of energy. The farmers are paralysed and running down to the ground with extra cost. But it's like this government hates the farmer. He could subsidise the fertiliser and he could forego them levies, these anti-dumping levies, but he won't do that because the Greens won't allow it. And all the working class people are suffering then because if the farmers' production costs go up more, they have to ask for more then and demand more for their produce. So it's a merry-go-round. But he could have stopped and helped a lot. But he have sat idly, boy, and he've all these other plans now. But there was one way of doing it. Forget the carbon tax for now and dropping a tax take.
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