Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome this initiative. As a contractor myself, I wish to ask the following. When I buy something off the shelf, it includes 23% VAT. If I fit it, there is 13.5% VAT. The 23% VAT rate is removed and the 13.5% rate is applied. If somebody comes in off the street and buys a solar panel at 23% VAT before getting his or her own installer, does the grant cover that?

Farmers have many rooftops. We are talking about filling rooftops with solar panels, with which I agree. If a farmer is not registered for VAT, will he or she qualify under the scheme? Will farmers be allowed to do more than 6 kWh, which is the limit for a household? The maximum for a household is 6 kWh. I know of households that can give 20 kWh but the grid is not able for it. At the moment, the grid cannot accept 20 kWh from a house. The maximum is 6 kWh. Will the Minister clarify the situation? Farms or businesses may have extra roofs but are not registered for VAT. Anyone who is in business is registered and can claim the VAT rate. However, can anyone who is not registered for VAT also supply solar panels with a zero VAT rate? We need to ensure there are solar panels for all. We do not want it to be like Housing For All, which does not provide for everyone. Will the solar panel scheme provide for all?

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