Penalising families with carbon tax won’t solve climate crisis -  Limerick TD

PENALISING working families with a carbon tax, won’t solve the climate crisis according to Sinn Féin’s Maurice Quinlivan TD.

Sinn Féin representatives on the Oireachtas Climate Action Committee rejected the majority report of the committee which includes carbon taxes and have published a minority report which sets out measures to tackle climate change in what they say is “a progressive manner that actually works.”

“Climate change is the defining challenge of our time and it must be tackled in a progressive way. But it must also be tackled by measures that work. The current carbon tax hasn’t reduced emissions. It hasn’t worked. Increasing it won’t work. The proposals from the other parties will impact harder on ordinary working people and families,” said LMr Quinlivan

“Penalising working families with a carbon tax won’t solve our climate crisis. Sinn Féin cannot support such punitive measures. We have actively participated in the all-party Oireachtas Climate Action Committee. We have listened to all the arguments and we have come to the conclusion that we cannot support the majority report,” he added.

Deputy Quinlivan says that they have produced their own alternative which sets out their proposals to cut carbon emissions.

“We have to enable people to change their behaviour to reduce their carbon footprint. Increasing taxes does not help low and middle income families to change to modern fuel efficient cars or to upgrade their homes. It just makes it harder for them to meet their bills,” said Deputy Quinlivan.

Their proposals include investing in public transport.