Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I recognise that one of the aspects of the implementation of a carbon tax is to attempt to change behaviour. It is to stick the cart before the horse, however, to do what has been done in France. People there were put in the position of having to spend much of their already reduced income on getting to and from work when public transport was not up to scratch. Only yesterday, the cost of a cash fare on a bus in Dublin went up again. It now costs €3 to go from Donnybrook to Stillorgan village, which is only a couple of stops.

There has been an increase of 87% in the cash cost of transport in Dublin since 2011. If we had such an increase in our wages, that would be great. We are pushing people off public transport and into private cars. This is particularly true in the satellite towns. We all know that the M50 looks like gridlock. We need to provide an alternative and we need to retrofit homes. The fuel poverty rate in Ballyfermot is 25%. People are already deciding whether to eat a hot meal or to turn on their gas for the winter. This plan will penalise them even further, even if the Government decides to give them back a bit. It is not that I do not recognise the need for it, but I suggest the cart is being put before the horse. No alternative is being provided. The Government is being completely contradictory in its failure to answer questions about how corporations are taxed on the wealth they make. Even though we are facing an urgent situation, this aspect of the matter is not being addressed by Governments. Funds are needed to retrofit homes and to increase public transport. That money could come from the sort of tax that is being considered. This possibility is not being addressed at a political level.