Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 5 December 2013
154. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the audits or examinations that have taken place to determine the impact the implementation of carbon tax has had on improving air quality here. [52292/13]
View answerTaxation is primarily a matter for the Minister for Finance. The purpose of the carbon tax, which was introduced in Budget 2010, is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by incentivising companies to bring low-carbon products and services to the market.
Generally, reducing greenhouse gas emissions will also reduce air pollution, although this is not always the case; for example, the increased use of diesel vehicles lowers CO 2 emissions but increases emissions of air pollutants such as nitrous oxides (NO) and particulate matter (PM).
In Budget 2013, the Government decided to extend the carbon tax to apply to solid fuels. Significant benefits to air quality should result from the Solid Fuel Carbon Tax (SFCT) if it promotes a shift from residential solid fuels to cleaner alternatives such as renewables, gas, oil or even 'smokeless' solid fuels containing biomass blends. I have asked my Department to explore this issue further with the Department of Finance. However, as the SFCT has only come into effect from May 2013, it is too soon to assess its impact on air quality.
