Dáil debates

Wednesday, 10 February 2010

Finance Bill 2010: Second Stage (Resumed)

 

5:00 pm

Photo of Ciarán CuffeCiarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)

Some protection for the Greens, of whatever hue, would be appreciated.

The point I was making was that we became far too dependent on the good-time taxes during the boom years. There was considerable revenue from car sales, VAT and construction. Those in opposition during the boom said we needed to spend more in many areas and those in Government used a huge amount of the money available for current spending. Not enough time was taken by all of us to consider what would happen after the boom. The Green Party, when in opposition, asked how one could create a more steady economy and steadier taxation measures. It was hard to get that point across.

In government, we are seeing a shift away from the good-time taxes. They are few and far between now and it is right to apply taxation to valuable resources that cost us a lot of money and which involve a lot of carbon emissions.

As an environmentalist, I am guided by the principle that the "polluter pays". Charging for the carbon that is polluting our atmosphere is a useful way of focusing our minds on how we can adapt our behaviour to live in harmony with the world's natural resources.

When we use electricity to charge our telephones or watch television, we are already paying an implicit carbon charge.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.