Labour European hopeful criticises carbon tax increase

LABOUR'S European election candidate, Limerick’s Prof Niamh Hourigan has criticised this month’s increase in carbon taxes.

From the start of this month, the price of a tonne of CO2 emitted rose from €48.50 per tonne to €56.00 per tonne.

Prof Hourigan says this has placed an “unjust burden” on domestic energy users.

“The increase on May 1 adds almost €20 to the cost associated with filling a 900 litre tank of home heating oil. It also sees a cent added to every kilowatt-per-hour of natural gas used, an additional 90 cent per 40kg bag of coal and 20 cent per bale of briquettes,” explained the Limerick native.

Prof Hourigan says these taxes hit ordinary people over industrial consumers.

She said: “The jet fuel aviation industry is a major pollutant and contributor of carbon to the environment but yet has escaped the burden of carbon taxes. Ordinary motorists on the road are paying an additional 15 cent per litre of fuel and ordinary households have had €20 added to the cost of filling a tank of kerosene. That kerosene is very similar to the kerosene used in jet aviation and yet is excluded from carbon taxes and this is blatantly unfair.”

Ms Hourigan from North Circular Road is the vice-president of academic affairs at Mary Immaculate College and has worked as a sociologist for the last 25 years.

She acknowledged there is a climate crisis, and says a central pillar in her election campaign is having a transition away from fossil fuels where everyone shares the financial burden.

“But in order for a just transition in terms of climate change to be successful, people need to feel that any taxes linked to the environmental change are applied in a fair and sustainable way,” explained Prof Hourigan, who is one of 23 confirmed candidates seeking election on June 7 in the Ireland South European Parliament constituency.

She called on government and the European Union to take urgent action to rebalance the financial burden on households “who are already facing enormous challenges in meeting cost of living and energy demands”.