Richard O'Donoghue: 'You're Not Learning' on Carbon Tax
Richard O'Donoghue, chair of the Budget Oversight Committee, criticised government departments for failing to coordinate and accused ministers of a reactive approach that punishes vulnerable families. In a forceful address he cited recent committee witnesses, protests by truckers and farmers, and the extra revenue from fossil fuel taxes as evidence that policy is missing its mark.
Committee findings:
Richard O'Donoghue summarises evidence heard by the Budget Oversight Committee and says Independent Ireland's witnesses backed his view that the Department of Finance and the Department of Enterprise are not communicating. He warns that 'targeted' payments distributed by separate departments fail to cover everyone who needs help.
Repeated mistakes and consequences:
O'Donoghue argues the government keeps repeating the same measures without change, calling this a 'sign of madness' because vulnerable people continue to suffer. He criticises the state for being reactive rather than proactive in responding to economic pressures and public protest.
Protests and public reaction:
Referencing protests from 2021 and recent demonstrations by truckers, farmers, businesses and homeowners, O'Donoghue says Ministers have not listened despite clear public anger. He recounts his own actions bringing attention to fuel costs and stresses that the protests are a symptom of deeper policy failure.
Impact on working families:
O'Donoghue points to the additional 1.7 billion in fossil fuel receipts this year and says that many households keep older vehicles (2010 to 2018) rather than upgrade, making carbon measures and import choices harder on ordinary people. He describes a 'squeeze middle' of working families who are penalised rather than supported.
Political consequence:
Closing on a personal note, O'Donoghue recounts conversations with voters across county shows and at home, saying older supporters now ask 'what are they doing up there?' He concludes by saying public attitudes are changing and thanks those who have spoken up.
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Minister, as a chairperson of the Budget Oversight Committee and we've had many witnesses in over the last number of months and yesterday we had witnesses in yesterday and exactly what I've been saying, Independent Ireland's been saying they actually agreed with us. The Department of Finance doesn't talk to the Department of Enterprise and the Department of Finance are responsible for divvying out the monies, but you're all working separately and when you hand out bits and pieces here, as you call targeted, it doesn't cover everyone. So the conclusion in our meeting yesterday, which was a very very good and informative meeting, was if you keep doing the same thing over and over again and there's no change it's a sign of madness and you've got to learn from the sign of madness. You're doing the same thing over and over again and you're getting the same result which people, vulnerable people, suffer and government don't make change. We've been talking about carbon tax, we've been talking about the protest. Five years ago in November 2021 I brought a truck in here when trucks around Ireland were protesting about the fuel costs. Five years ago and yet a few months ago not only the truckers, the farmers, the businesses, the homeowners all protested here and you still haven't listened. After five years you've got it wrong. What are you paying your departments for if they don't know how to react to different problems? So you're reactive not proactive. That's your biggest problem. I've stood in the Limerick Junction at the Tipperary show, I've stood at the Charvel show, I stand in shows every year to meet people and in all the shows I've gone to I've never seen people, as many people coming to me with their concerns and they're all finna fall and finna gale all their lives but they're not all the young people that are coming to me. It's all the different age groups up along the line, even people that have retired and I was at a mass of the graves for our deceased family members and the last man that came to me as I was leaving in his 80s walked up to me and said Richard what are they doing up there? Now if you have lost all those people that stood alongside you all the years and they can see that you're getting it wrong, why can't you? They see their children and their grandchildren now suffering with the people that they actually put in here and now they're embarrassed because you're not learning. Why are you not learning and why are you targeting the most vulnerable people in this country? Why? You can see the 1.7 billion you made extra this year in fossil fuel taxes. When you look at the vehicles in this country are based between 2010 and 2018. They're looking to keep the vehicles that they have on the road but you've no problem in bringing in inferior foods from other countries and you want the quality to stay the same here. This is what you've done in this country. You've forgotten the very people that put you here and put their trust in you but you're taxing them out of existence and the most worse off people in this country at the moment are the squeeze middle. The working people of Ireland. The people that get up every morning and go to bed late at night and work and you do not look after them. But what do you do? You penalise them for working rather than give them some bit of a reward and the harder they work the more you penalise them. So nobody, if there's two people in the house all working, I'll penalise you twice as much and your children. That's what this government has stood for. But the people are changing in Ireland and it's now shown on the ground the people are changing in Ireland and I thank them for that.
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