Energy Minister provides no comfort for PAYE workers
Energy Minister provides no comfort for PAYE workers - The Labour Party
- Targeted Energy credits urgently needed with nearly half a million homes in arrears on their bills
- Retrofitting and solar upgrades must also be fast-tracked.
Labour Energy spokesperson Ciarán Ahern TD has criticised Minister Darragh O’Brien for failing to provide any support for households struggling with electricity bills that will now increase over the coming months.
Deputy Ahern said:
“Listening to the Minister for Energy speak to RTÉ Radio today it was clear he had no new policies or proposals to address the energy crisis hitting Irish families and businesses as the needs of PAYE workers continue to be ignored.
“Between electricity and gas, nearly half a million households are in arrears and the Budget last October provided no relief for PAYE workers as energy credits were removed, and the indexation of income tax credits dropped.
“In the space of a month the government has spent nearly €800 million on fuel supports for mostly sectoral interests while ignoring the needs of hundreds of thousands of families crippled by energy bills.
“With industry experts warning that already high electricity and gas prices will increase in the months ahead, now is the time for the government to admit that targeted energy credits are needed before bills and arrears rise even higher.
“Labour has also called for radical new measures to increase the rate of retrofitting, turbocharge the installation of heat pumps and adopt new technologies like plug in solar to lower bills and give households a measure of energy independence.
“As uncertainty in the Middle East continues to impact on fossil fuel supplies, the International Energy Agency has warned of an unprecedented energy shock and provided governments with a menu of options they should consider.
“However once again the Irish government is refusing to listen to warnings, pivot its policies towards more renewables and is failing to hear the concerns of families, workers and businesses.”