Michael Lowry (Tipperary North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

There are two things the Government can do and for which it can take responsibility. The first is the fact that, as the Minister of State said, Bord na Móna is no longer competitive. The reason its products such as briquettes and peatland products are no longer competitive is that they are subject to the carbon tax. That tax was introduced in budget 2010. Following discussions with the then Government I secured an exemption for peat products. That exemption was lifted in the budget of 2013 when the Government imposed the tax at €10 per tonne. It doubled the tax in the 2014 budget to €20 per tonne. Effectively, a bale of briquettes has a carbon tax levy of 56 cent. It makes those products uncompetitive compared to Northern Ireland, where coal and briquettes are not subject to a carbon tax. As Deputy Coonan said, coal is being imported at low prices with which our Bord na Móna products cannot compete. The Government can move on that and it can also move on the public service obligation that the ESB has, which is denying Bord na Móna €23 million per annum.

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