Carbon tax increase will make home heating oil more expensive from today – Pearse Doherty TD

Sinn Féin spokesperson on Finance, Pearse Doherty TD, has said independents, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael need to come to their senses and stop heaping more pressure on people in a cost-of-living crisis.

Today will see carbon tax increases on gas and home heating oil, with increases on petrol and diesel to come later in the year.

Teachta Doherty said:

“Today is the first of the carbon tax increases Independents agreed to in government negotiations when they put Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael back into power.

“The carbon tax is regressive. It hits ordinary people on middle and low incomes the hardest.

“Independents by facilitating Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to increase taxes on people that have to heat their home or drive their car for work have turned their back on their voters.

“Independents, led by Michael Lowry, were happy to sign up for five years of carbon tax increases to get their hands on a few government jobs.

“This means throwing ordinary workers and families struggling with a cost-of-living crisis under the bus for their own personal ambition.

“People using home-heating oil will end up paying an extra €19 to fill a 900-litre home-heating oil tank.

“It doesn’t change behaviour for most people because they have no other option. All it does is penalise people that don’t have any alternative.

“It doesn’t make economic or environmental sense. Independents, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael need to come to their senses and stop heaping more and more pressure on workers and families.”