Ireland 'must impose carbon tax or face fine'

A CARBON tax must be imposed on motorists, householders and industry if Ireland is to avoid paying a €1bn fine for breaking our greenhouse gases limit, it emerged yesterday.

Greenhouse gases are one of the main causes of global warming and Ireland is producing double the amount it is legally allowed under the international regulation, the Kyoto Protocol.

If we do not cut these back to 13% a year we will have to pay another country that has complied with the regulations 1bn by the end of this decade, said An Taisce president Frank Corcoran.