Carbon Tax funds needs to go towards retrofitting homes in Laois says local TD
Deputy Brian Stanley said that the waiting time for Warmer Homes Scheme for private homes is currently 24 months.
INDEPENDENT Republican TD in Laois Brian Stanley said that money collected from increases in Carbon Tax is not going where the government said it would.
The Portlaoise based Dáil Deputy said: “That commitments given by the FF/FG/Greens Government that the money collected from increases in Carbon Tax would be used for targeted environmental schemes such as retrofitting homes, has not been true.
“This mantra was repeated a number of times by government spokespersons over the last four years.
“Four weeks ago, I highlighted the fact that the Comptroller and Auditor General’s (CNAG) annual report showed that just 61% of the funding went to targeted schemes, with the other 39% being directed into Government coffers. An additional €1.36billion was collected in the three years from 2020 to 2023 in tax increases.’’
Deputy Stanley said: “When other TD’s and myself raised this, we were assured that the money raised from carbon tax would go for energy conservation programmes such as retrofitting homes. Further hikes in this tax on fuels are planned with carbon Tax to go to €100 per carbon ton over the next six years.
“The Government may claim that some of the money is going to increases in Social Protection spending, but this looks more like a coincidence as the recent Splash the Cash budget is little more than an attempt to buy votes with people’s own money.”
“The need for the home retrofit schemes to be ramped up is ever pressing given the cost of fuel and the fact that we need to reduce our carbon emissions. Unfortunately, the retrofit schemes are moving at too slow a pace. The waiting time for Warmer Homes Scheme for private homes is currently 24 months.
“The situation regarding local authority homes is that, while some progress has been made, the funding going into it needs to be increased dramatically. Just 158 local authority homes were retrofitted in Laois under the Midlands Retrofit Programme over the past four years, this is out of a total number of over 2,500 council homes in the county.’’
“I am calling for any additional money collected in Carbon Tax in the future to go into environmental schemes such as retrofitting of private and local authority homes,’’ said the TD.
