Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Sadly, the evidence of this fee and dividend model that the Taoiseach is advocating, whereby people receive their money back on the carbon tax they pay, has been proven not to work. It has not worked in British Columbia in Canada, where emissions have not gone down. It has not worked in Norway and it will not work here. It will not work for the very simple reason that we cannot change people's behaviours in ways that they cannot afford. It may well be that the tax Fine Gael will negotiate with its coalition partners in Fianna Fáil may facilitate the better-off in society to improve the energy rating of their homes. They may even invest in an expensive electric car. I can tell the Taoiseach that for the broad mass of people, that is simply beyond their reach. Approaches that do work are investment in public infrastructure and investment in programmes that facilitate and support people to change their behaviour. What does work is straight-up investment in the green economy and green jobs. This make-believe scenario will not work.

I am glad to hear the Taoiseach is not going to increase the carbon tax fourfold, although he was quoted over the weekend as making precisely that promise.

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