Madam, – Frank Convery, in looking at the case for a carbon tax (Opinion, 15th), doesn’t make reference to one particular section of Irish society who would be severely impacted by the introduction of such a tax.
Among the hardest hit by the recession are those who purchased homes in commuter towns during the boom years and are now in negative equity. In many cases, public transport infrastructure has not been updated sufficiently well in these towns and the use of cars remains essential to commuter life.
Young professionals in such areas also tend to be more adversely affected by salary cuts and unemployment than other demographics, taking into account the average dearth of savings accrued given typically expensive mortgage repayments that need to be made regularly.
It is simply unfair to suggest that commuters with no realistic public transport alternative should face an expensive further tax on fuel in simply travelling to the workplace, and if the carbon tax is to be introduced, an exemption scheme for those affected by negative equity would clearly need to be implemented. – Yours, etc,