Government policy ‘actively increasing cost-of-living’ – Matt Carthy TD
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Agriculture, Matt Carthy TD, has said that rather than supporting families during a cost-of-living crisis, government policy is adding to the spiralling costs they face.
He was speaking during a Dáil debate on a Sinn Féin Motion that called on government to scrap the pending Carbon Tax increases which will see respective increases in heating and motor fuel costs, in May and October of this year.
Teachta Carthy said:
“Workers and families are facing a cost-of-living crisis.
“As people in this state face amongst the highest rents, mortgage interest rates, insurance and childcare costs in Europe – they are also burdened with ever increasing electricity, heating and fuel costs.
“Rather than support families to meet those burdens, the response of this government is to increase them further through the imposition of carbon taxes.
“Bizarrely, after spending months discussing a package to address the cost-of-living crisis; a package that fell far short of what is required; it will be followed by a government-imposed hike in home heating costs in the next few weeks.
“This is an action of a government that is completely out-of-touch with the lived realities of those they are supposed to represent.
“There exists in government a complete lack of understanding that it isn’t simply a case that people don’t want to pay additional carbon taxes – it’s that they can’t afford further price hikes.
“Worse again, government representatives try to defend these price hikes and go as far as to patronisingly claim that these increased costs are actually in people’s best interests.
“In the case of farmers, they are told the lie that €1.5 billion of carbon tax collected will go to them.
“What is not said is that this is a three-card-trick – that the €1.5 billion is actually less than what government negotiated away from farmers in the EU budget.
“So, farmers will pay more in carbon tax, to get less in supports, while being asked to do more for the environment.
“The same is true for all other families and workers.
“Carbon taxes simply penalise those who have no option but to drive their cars or who cannot afford to retrofit their homes.
“They are unfair at the best of times; but to increase them further right now is simply an attack by parties and TDs who are blind to the struggles facing those who are simply trying to make ends meet.
“I commend this motion to the house – the Carbon Tax increase must be scrapped” he concluded.
ENDS
