Carbon tax hikes would have been higher in the budget if there was no prospect of a hard Brexit, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe has signalled.

The Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said the Government will not drop the carbon tax increase announced in Budget 2020.

Fine Gael TDs fearful of a backlash over carbon tax hikes want tomorrow's budget to include a 'transition fund' for new jobs as well increases in fuel allowances for poorer families.

The Government has been accused of climate change “tokenism” over its planned carbon tax increases amid ministerial warnings the opposition is making “lazy” claims that environmental changes can take place “without any costs”.

The group says the country's greenhouse gas emissions are nearly 3m tonnes over what they should be to meet our 2020 targets.

Further significant rises will be necessary over the coming decade to tackle climate change linked to carbon dioxide, an advisory panel added.

An airline ticket tax and other carbon taxes, an increased betting tax, and setting a minimum rate of corporation tax, feature among the proposals of advocacy group Social Justice Ireland in its proposals for October’s budget.

The introduction of a so-called congestion charge into Dublin would be a "lazy option", according to the Dublin Chamber of Commerce.

Energy Minister Richard Bruton is open to considering annual hikes in carbon taxes and confirms that upward changes to the levy will be considered for the 2020 budget.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said ESRI predictions that households will have to pay carbon taxes amounting to €3,000 in future years were "way off the mark", but that a regime to increase such levies was needed.

The President of the Irish Road Haulage Association, Verona Murphy, has claimed it is outrageous that politicians are making policies on carbon tax when they do not know enough on the subject.

Households face a €3,000 carbon tax bill unless measures are brought in by the Government to tackle emissions and climate change.

I kept coming back to the image of two old fellas sitting on bar stools chatting away about future-proofing the economy without noticing that the fourth wall of the pub had already fallen over the cliff.

The Justice Minister insists the increase in VAT in the hospitality sector will not "see the sky falling in".

“The increase in carbon tax was the only new climate policy measure under consideration. The fact that it’s now off the table is a disaster for an already-failing climate policy regime."

A proposed hike to diesel and petrol prices is reportedly one of the main sticking points ahead of tomorrow's Budget.

The Government is being warned against hiking the carbon tax on solid fuels in the upcoming Budget.

There is a strong case for a review of the carbon tax, Fianna Fáil finance spokesman Michael McGrath has said.