Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Bill. It provides for the further extension of six agri-tax reliefs currently due to expire on 30 June 2023, and that extension is certainly welcome. In the brief time I have I will focus on just two sections of the Bill.

The first is section 2. It provides for amendments to the rates of mineral oil tax, MOT, and for an extension to the current VAT prior to an incremental restoration of the full rates to 31 October. The reply to a recent parliamentary question I submitted revealed that in the full year from the restoration of the full rates of tax, the Government will take in a staggering €700 million in excise duty and tax. In this scenario the Government-backed increases will yield €478 million in respect of diesel, with an additional yield of €35 million in VAT. The yield for petrol is estimated to amount to €159 million, with VAT bringing in an additional €35 million. These figures reflect the enormous tax burden coming down the tracks for farmers, drivers, hauliers, transport operators, school bus providers and many others. It is unconscionable that this is set to take place at a time other energy costs are fracturing the capacity of businesses and households to stay afloat. I see in my constituency of Laois-Offaly nearly every day of the week businesses closing their doors. They urgently need more supports. Unfortunately, we recently lost one great family business in Birr, Milne Foods. It was disappointing to see that businesses such as Milne Foods did not get enough supports from the Government to keep them afloat and retain them in our towns.

The second part of the Bill I will focus on relates to the section 1 provision for an extension of the young trained farmer stock relief. While that is certainly welcome, it can only be seen as one angle of support to address the ongoing crisis relating to generational renewal. Macra na Feirme recently pointed to an Irish Farmers' Journalsurvey, which found that 46% of farmers surveyed had not identified a successor. That is a profoundly alarming finding and indicates to us clearly that the scale of the challenges before us will not be addressed by tinkering with the tax system of reliefs, necessary and welcome as they are. Irish farming will face a serious crisis and yet another crisis in the coming years if the issue of generational renewal is not addressed, taken seriously and tackled with the urgency it demands. It should be tackled with the same urgency as green policy. Green policy is driving our farmers off the land and putting off many young farmers from being successors. The green policies are like green medicine being forced down our throats and the throats of farming families.

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