Tax Yield
Dail Éireann — 2026-09-29
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Simon Harris (FG), Wicklow

We can have a difference of view on this. We have taken a number of measures to try to help people with energy and fuel supports. It is probably the largest in the European Union per capita . I agree with the Deputy on the point that not everybody is in a position to change their home heating oil tank. I think particularly of older people as well. It just simply might not work for people. Quite frankly, there is a difference between saying do not increase the taxes versus a complete abolition of the tax. We need to operate in this space while being conscious of the ETS2 derogation. We all take our views and our advices in relation to this. We have a derogation from opting into the ETS. We do not want to have a situation where we transfer revenues being collected by one form of taxation and spent domestically here over to a large payment of billions of euro to the European Union. We have to consider all of those issues. The tax strategy group paper, which no doubt Sinn Féin will be considering as part of its alternative budget too, talks about trajectories and different products. The Deputy is correct; there are things the Government can choose to do. The Government cannot do everything. The Government can help people with costs in general, including the cost of energy and filling the home heating tank through a variety of means, including the income tax system.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-09-29/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-10-05T01:00:59+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-09-29