A CONTINUOUS “insidious” rise in Carbon Tax by the government is unfair.
That’s the claim of County Limerick politician Richard O’Donoghue, who said independent research from the Oireachtas Parliamentary Budget Office confirmed that rural families are shouldering the weight of carbon charges compared to their urban counterparts.
By 2030, rural homeowners in County Limerick will have a Carbon Tax bill of €1,300 per annum, Deputy O’Donoghue claims.
“The study underscores that rural households last year shelled out an average of €8.40 per week on carbon levies, nearly double the €5.50 per week spent by urban counterparts. This does not include the Carbon Tax impact on driving up food prices and inflation. This affirms our long-standing assertion that rural residents, workers, and farmers are bearing the brunt of the government’s Carbon Tax agenda, further exacerbating the urban-rural divide,” he said.
The Independent Ireland TD maintains that the government’s pursuit of Carbon Tax hikes will saddle average rural households with an additional €10.90 per week by 2030, bringing their weekly Carbon Tax expenditure to approximately €20 (or €25 with VAT), compared to €12.40 (€15 with VAT) for urban households.
“This blatant disparity underscores the regressive nature of the Carbon Tax and its disproportionate impact on rural households in County Limerick, for example, who will be forced to fork out on average around €1,300 per year by 2030.
“The burden of the Carbon Tax falls disproportionately on low-income and rural families. This regressive taxation, layered atop existing mineral oil levies, including petrol, diesel, and home heating oil, serves as a stark reminder of the government’s indifference to the painful impact on rural residents, farmers, and vulnerable communities,” he concluded.
