Ban the Car

[john m]

https://www.herald.ie/news/gridlocked-dublin-14th-in-list-of-worlds-most-congested-cities-38176680.html

[john m]

Irish air pollution breaches safety levels 84 times this year.

[silverbullet]

Irish air pollution breaches safety levels 84 times this year.

That's gas!

[john m]

The Irish Government spends a total of €4.1bn on environmentally damaging subsidies and taxes forgone each year according to a new analysis published by the Central Statistics Office.

The report titled "Fossil Fuel and Similar Subsidies 2012  2016" says that direct and indirect fossil fuel subsidies amount to €2.5bn per year. Another €1.5bn in potentially environmentally damaging subsidies go the agriculture sector.

The CSO says that a subsidy is classified as environmentally damaging if it is likely to incentivise behaviour that could damage the environment irrespective of its importance for other policy or social support objectives.

For instance it classes subsidies such as the fuel allowance for low income households to alleviate fuel poverty as a potentially environmentally damaging subsidy that could result in increased greenhouse emissions though unnecessary use of fossil fuels.

An alternative according to CSO would be the refurbishment of properties through improved attic, wall, floor, and window insulation grants that could greatly reduce the energy required to heat a dwelling.

In addition the analysis also examined indirect subsidies including tax revenues forgone by the imposition of lower excise duties on diesel, kerosene, gas, oil, aviation fuel, and other fuel oil.

In the agriculture sector the analysis appears to class most farm related subsidies and supports as potentially environmentally damaging.

This includes not just direct farm support payments but also revenues forgone by granting a zero rate of VAT for fertiliser, VAT refunds for farmers, Agricultural Capital Tax Relief, Stamp Duty relief for young farmers, and much more.

According to the CSO analysis, 56% of all the potentially environmentally damaging subsidies are indirect in nature  for example having a lower rate of VAT or excise duty.

The remaining 44% is accounted for by direct government subsidies such as the transfer of €115m from electricity consumers through the PSO levy to subsidise the burning of peat to generate electricity, or the direct payment of €400m euro per year to households in fuel, gas, and electricity allowances.

The €1.5bn in potentially environmentally damaging subsidies for agriculture does not include the revenue foregone on so called "green diesel" or marked gas fuel oil used by farmers.

This is diesel that is taxed at a substantial discount for use in tractors, farm machinery and some construction machinery.

The tax revenue foregone on green diesel is estimated to cost the exchequer over €500m a year.

[john m]

A carbon tax, if well designed, could benefit poorer families and reduce emissions, according to the Economic and Social Research Institute.

In a paper published on Thursday the ESRI says a blunt carbon tax would hurt poorer households more as they spend a greater proportion of their income on fuel than wealthier homes. However a targeted ‘recycling’ of the taxes, redistributing more of the revenues back to poorer homes, would “actually reduce income inequality”.

And the capacity of such a system to reduce inequality would increase as carbon taxes increase, says the institute.

Titled, Carbon Taxation in Ireland: Distributional Effects of Revenue Recycling Policies, the paper says if a tax of €30 per tonne of carbon was introduced households would spend about an additional €3 per week on energy. A tax of €80 per tonne would see costs go up about €7 per week.

The Irish Times view on carbon tax: an equitable transition
Are we facing a hike in carbon tax in Ireland?
Bruton says carbon tax is set to increase in the next budget
An amount of carbon dioxide is emitted – perhaps just a few grams at a time – when fossil fuels like gas and petrol are burnt. Over time these build up to a tonne of carbon.

Blunt tax
The households worst affected by a blunt carbon tax would include poorer rural households, single-parent households, low-skill workers and those living in older dwellings. With a carbon tax “every household bears some cost but the cost is greatest for the poorest households,” the ESRI said.

Addressing these issues could be achieved by the “appropriate recycling of the revenue raised by a carbon tax”, the ESRI says.

There could either be a flat-rate allocation back to households regardless of income, or a more targeted one.

“A flat allocation . . . compensates poorer households more than richer households as a proportion of expenditure.

“However, a more targeted measure benefits the poorest households far more . . . The targeted measure is therefore more progressive, which is appropriate given that higher incomes emit higher levels of carbon.”

[Belker]

Make the Buses and Trains FREE ?

[The Liffey Lip]

An area the size of France is cut down every day in Southern America...........plant more trees and problem sorted. Centralising power to impose lifestyles on people won't save the planet.

[john m]

All the Save the Planet ban the car articles in the Press since the Greens got elected .Government see the opportunity to try win over the Greens before the General election and line them up for coalition and at the same time introduce Carbon tax ,congestion charges and traffic restrictions while they can blame the Greens for wanting to carry out the agenda of their voters .

[Shallowhal]

As said previously....the majority of people who voted Green obviously don't pay the bills in a household and probably never will....because when the time comes when these people want to move out they'll realise that their vote will actually fuk themselves over.

[john m]

Hal local property tax and the bins costs about a grand a year ann in another grand in carbon tax on gas ,electricity and fuel and all paid out of after taxed income .more like 2500 a year in environment taxation on the average family .Congestion charge could add another grand a year on workers driving to work .Dark shadows for the single income family .

[Shallowhal]

I hope when your daughter moves home she doesn't vote Green John....although i'd say her ears are burning with Daddy blowin off steam....maybe she will just to stay at home at your expense!!

[john m]

This isint my house its a family home prefer them here that struggling to pay child minding and mortgage that would break up most families and they will be back home anyway alsomight be ok to kave somebody to look after you in your old age before Harneys old age tax takes your gaff in return for an armchair in some nursing home .

[Shallowhal]

Let them squabble over the gaff when you and your missus are gone John....gaffs are always a bone of contention.

[Bob Shillin]

An area the size of France is cut down every day in Southern America...........plant more trees and problem sorted. Centralising power to impose lifestyles on people won't save the planet.

'Twill be interesting to see if the earmarked trees on the Merrion Rd get cut down, or if they decide to cut some down in Darndale instead.

[Shallowhal]

They're gonna gain fukall road space cutting down those trees at a time when they say buses,cars are the problem with climate change yet they want to put more on the road especially with their bus connects plan....carbon taxes will sort the problem out!!