Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I rise to support amendments Nos. 1 and 2 from Sinn Féin. We are talking about robbing Peter to pay Paul and then the Minister brought the National Oil Reserves Agency, NORA, into it. I know Peter and Paul were saints but I do not know anything about NORA. This is not very saintly or funny to the people at home who want to get some relief. The Government has a budget of €11 billion and it is talking about giving money here and there to give relief to hard-pressed householders. In the same breath, it is acquiescing and passing this carbon tax, which the Minister has got all his colleagues in government to sign up for.

I want to support the call on Government backbenchers and to give them a chance. They have been on the radio extolling the virtues of this great giveaway Government and inside in the middle of the budget there is this punitive charge and the Minister is telling us it will be replaced by getting rid of the NORA levy to allow Peter to rob Paul or Paul to rob Peter. The people are sick and tired of that because they are being robbed and forced to travel to work for industry and all the different ways of life to try to eke out a living and to bring their kids to school. The Government has made all these lovely cuts to fares for public transport, but what if you do not have public transport? The vast majority of the people we are talking about do not have it. The Government is going ahead with the carbon tax at this point, which is a sheer act of lunacy as far as I am concerned. It is a trick of the loop and a three-card trick; taking with one hand and giving back with the other. I totally oppose it and will be voting against it.

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