Electricity Levy

T

Tessi

Registered User
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Hi

Could anyone enlighten me as to who exactly is to pay this new levy. Is everyone going to be obliged to pay it or is it yet again a levy that will exclude some sectors as was the case of the pension levy?

Whats peoples opinions on the levy, do you see it as necessary or do you feel its yet just another way of exactracting money some of us just don't have!
 
From what I can see, everyone will pay it. In my opinion, the levy is a joke.
 
It is a joke & we are the ones who are being laughed at! At this rate we won't have a cent to spend. I really feel sorry for people who are trying their best to manage & then to be hit with yet another levy. "Green Energy" is all very well if it's up and running - but we still have to live in the meantime. When the cost of fuel of any kind goes up we all pay more in the shops. The Green party better make the most of their government jobs because it'll be the last time anyone trusts them.
 
On the other hand, if we don't subsidise renewables like wind energy, and in ten years time, oil hits $400 a barrell, we will look rather foolish being the windiest country in Europe, still dependent on imported oil and gas.

There are issues with the ESB profits, wage levels etc., but that is a separate issue. To my mind, the levy is a prudent investment in providing affordable energy in the future.
 
quentingargan said:
To my mind, the levy is a prudent investment in providing affordable energy in the future.
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Not that you'd have a vested interest in renewable/affordable energy Quentin?

[broken link removed]

(Disclosure of interests always appreciated on AAM)

..... I've no connection with the above link ..... just remembered coming across it awhile back.
 
PaddyBloggit said:
Not that you'd have a vested interest in renewable/affordable energy Quentin?
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Yes, I have various business interests, most of which are in the renewable energy sector for a few reasons;
1) I believe in man-made climate change so I think its worthwhile
2) I believe global oil production has peaked, and if this recession ever ends, demand will again outstrip supply and send energy prices through the roof.
3) Last, but not least, I think in the long term it will be profitable. If I didn't think that, I wouldn't be doing it.

If I am right, then we all have a vested interest in renewable energy. The more we put into developing it now, the more competitive our economy will be in 10 years time when energy prices rise.

That's worth 5% today IMHO.
 
The levy is a joke. The ESB made an enormous profit last year. This profit should be re-invetsed into renewable energy exploration and research.

Absolutely no need for the levy at all. It is another stealth tax!!!!
 
Levy or levy not .... it's not the best move to introduce a price hike with so many individuals and businesses struggling to make ends meet.
 
Introducing a levy at this time...when ESB has recorded €500m in profit and we have about the 3rd highest electricity costs in europe, and over 450,000 unemployed.

32,000 homes with over 3months mortgage arrears, and a further 20,000 in arrears of less than 3 months, and a 2nd ESB increase due in a months time and god's knows what the budget in December will bring...

Well you have to be forgiven for thinking that the lunatic's have taken over the assylum and that is before I even start on the *ankers.:mad:

Who cares about 2012+ (unless your a fat cat or living comfortably) a lot of us just want to make it through the present and hopefully the New Year.
 
As far as I am aware the levy although being billed by ESB , its not their money, they are the simplt the agency to collect the levy. Busness, both Irish & International have being saying for years that our energy costs are far too high so whilst the country is on its knees we propose to bring in a 5% levy !!! Excellent idea. The ESB are saying that they could lower the ir billing charges but the Regulator is preventing them !!!

A bit of JOINED up thinking would not go astray here. Fianna Fail are driving this country into a huge black hole. I am almost embarassed to say that I have never ever voted for other than FF but can't wait for the next General Election..just can't wait. Unfortunately the Front bench are useless and more unfortunatley the back benchers are spineless.

Rant over................


Secman
 
Anyone remember the ESB ads from about 2 years ago - flashy ones on de telly... something along the lines of "we're investing 1.xbn in renewable energy in the next fews years"....don't remember the levy being mentioned in the ad :rolleyes:
 
Why wont the regulator let the ESB lower their prices? Sureley its in everybodys interest? They shouldnt be allowed raise it without regulator approval.

Airtricity and Bord Gais are committed to being 10-13% cheaper than ESB whatever their price so im not sure that the argument that it will affect competitiion has any substance
 
They appear to have almost 600million handy to throw into their pension fund, so that's the important thing.
 
rustbucket said:
Why wont the regulator let the ESB lower their prices? Sureley its in everybodys interest? They shouldnt be allowed raise it without regulator approval.
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ESB prices are higher than they need to be to encourage other providers (Airtricity, Bord Gais) into the market to compete with ESB.

So, AFAIK, the 'competitors' buy the electricity from the ESB at wholesale rates and then sell it on to the consumers at a price dictated by the regulator. Whereas if the ESB had no 'competition', the retail price to the consumer could be lower.

The ESB profit for late year was inflated by the proceeds of the sale of 2 generation stations. Nevertheless, it is a highly profitable company whose employees enjoy probably the best salaries and benefits in the semi-state sector.

Those salaries and benefits are probably fireproof, cos no Minister has the nerve to take on the unions and risk blackouts.
 
To be fair to the much maligned ESB workers, they have agreed to a three year pay freeze (including pensioners), increases after that will be linked to inflation, and moved to a career average pension rather than a final salary one.

To be honest they accepted it too easily so I have to wonder where the catch is especially considering their union is one of the most militant.
 
The catch is to do with their 2 billion euro pension fund deficit, which will magically disappear. So a three year pay freeze agreed on massive salaries in return for 2,000,000,000 quid. I'd sign up for that.
 
shnaek said:
The catch is to do with their 2 billion euro pension fund deficit, which will magically disappear. So a three year pay freeze agreed on massive salaries in return for 2,000,000,000 quid. I'd sign up for that.
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Not exactly acurate reporting of the facts is it. It seems like the company is paying €600m while the employees are contributing the rest to cure the deficit. Not saying it is right or wrong or they are overpaid or not. Just pointing out that a very militant semi-state trade union agreed to changes in it's employees pension scheme that seem on the face of it very draconian (although necessary: Other unions take note!)
 
shnaek said:
The catch is to do with their 2 billion euro pension fund deficit, which will magically disappear. So a three year pay freeze agreed on massive salaries in return for 2,000,000,000 quid which is already owed to you as a contractual commitment . I'd sign up for that.
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Fixed that for ya.
 
Yorky said:
If this had have been introduced three years ago no-one would have batted an eyelid.

Then, and for the previous decade, they should have been meticulously saving their surplus income for when the current economic situation inevitably arrived.
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The levy? I'd still object. I have little practicable choice over the source of my fuel. I can control the costs and usage (which I do), but where it comes from: no.

So even if it were 3 or 5 years ago, the levy is a charge on me for the systematic failure of the state and the ESB to invest in renewable energy sources. With the decades of problems of Ireland being at the end of the pipe, there has been little or no investment to make the state sustainable and self-reliant. And in all that time huge profits have been made with shrugs of the shoulders that we can't control oil prices etc.

So thanks for that.
 
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