Sinn Féin spokesperson for Finance, Pearse Doherty, has called on Fianna Fáil leader Micháel Martin to tell the public what the €1bn hole in their annual taxation plan means for other campaign promises.

Pearse Doherty said:

“It is now clear that Fianna Fáil double counted the revenue from the carbon taxes they plan to hike over the next five years if they are returned to government.

“Fianna Fáil, in their manifesto, count this as additional revenue and uses it to fund the promises they are making to the public.

“Jack Chambers today clarified that roughly €1bn of their €1.57bn in annual revenue will come from carbon taxes.

“The former Finance Minister should know that this is already baked into the department of finance’s projects and can not be counted as additional revenue.

“This is why other parties that plan to go ahead with five more hikes on the carbon tax, like Fine Gael and the Greens, have not counted revenue from carbon taxes in their manifestos.

“What the public now deserve is transparency from Fianna Fáil about what that means in terms of their campaign promises.

“What measures will they now cut? That is the least the public deserve before they go to the polls on Friday.”