Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 8 March 2023

Committee on Budgetary Oversight

Report of the Commission on Taxation and Welfare: Discussion (Resumed)

Photo of Pearse DohertyPearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is not today or yesterday that farmers started talking to me about their frustration at the barriers preventing them generating solar electricity and feeding it back into the grid, which would be a way of keeping their farms viable, even though we are missing our overall targets in terms of climate change objectives. Mr. Cullinan gave the example of rooftop solar. Tomorrow morning, my colleague, Deputy Carthy, will launch a policy document in respect of solar energy and other on-farm renewables on behalf of Sinn Féin. The debate in that regard will be interesting. Deputy Carthy has done a significant amount of work on this and engaged with farm communities. He recognises and understands their frustration.

Mr. Cullinan referred to some of the impediments, such as the grid, cables and physical infrastructure. To focus on the tax element, however, is there any tax impediment to realising the potential of solar energy or other renewables in the agriculture sector?

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