Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)

This will create incentives for new businesses to create low-carbon technologies and improve energy efficiency, which will gradually wean us off our great reliance on imported oil. Such a levy will also bring stability to our tax base and ensure that we are not as susceptible to the sharp decline in the moneys used to pay for Government services. At €15 per tonne of carbon, it will add four cent to a litre of petrol, for example, and should cost households from €3 to €5 per week. While this is not a massive amount it is important to ensure that the effects on the most vulnerable in society are mitigated. The carbon levy will generate moneys for insulating homes, alleviating fuel poverty and providing better public transport.

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