Home Heating Oil (Emergency Mineral Oil Tax Reduction) Bill 2026: Second Stage [Private Members]
Dail Éireann — 2026-09-22
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Paul Lawless (AON), Mayo

----- this Chamber must be addressed.
Introducing climate action legislation that contained legally binding targets was wrong and must be called out. The U-turn and the change in rhetoric are welcome.
Over the past few weeks, I have done quite a bit of research on taxation on fuel that I want to put on the record of the House. I want to be honest and transparent with the people of Ireland in the weeks ahead because I have no doubt that the Government will make every effort to outline to sectors that it cannot afford this or that because of the changes in fuel taxation. This Government is on track to take in more in carbon taxes this year than it did last year, even if the planned increase in carbon tax goes ahead in October. This Government is projected to take in more on VAT on fuel this year than it did last year. Figures released to me in recent days show that the Climate Action Fund, the fund into which moneys from the NORA levy are paid, is in surplus by €250 million, even though it has effectively been reduced significantly since April. The Government wants to reintroduce the NORA levy in six weeks, even though, despite it having had a significant reduction over the last five months, that fund is in surplus by over €250 million.
It is time that the spin and the rhetoric end. The Government is not in danger of running the accounts dry if current excise rates remain in place and the pause in carbon taxation continues. Carbon tax is not a means of redistributing wealth. It is a stick that the Government is using to beat the poorest commuters and the country's poorest citizens.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-09-22/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-28T05:50:49+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-09-22