Ireland collected a record €5.879 billion in environmental taxes during 2025, according to new CSO data. Households paid €3.468 billion, or 59% of the total. Energy taxes rose 12% to €3.924 billion, with carbon tax alone reaching €1.189 billion, up 10% from the prior year. The Public Service Obligation Levy on electricity consumers jumped from €63 million to €228 million. The Climate Change Advisory Council used the release to urge the government to keep the planned carbon tax increase to €100 per tonne by 2030. It also called for phasing out fossil-fuel subsidies and better targeting of cost-of-living support toward home retrofitting and public transport. The council noted that only 61% of ring-fenced carbon tax revenue was spent on intended climate measures between 2020 and 2023. Despite the record cash total, environmental taxes fell to 4.3% of Ireland's overall tax revenue in 2025, down from 7.7% in 2016. That drop suggests the tax base is not keeping pace with overall economic growth, even as per-tonne carbon costs rise.
