Civil servants and county councillors have reacted angrily to a Government plan to reduce mileage rates for high-emission cars.
Under the current system, civil servants get a higher travel allowance for driving cars with bigger engines.
Meanwhile, thousands of civil servants enjoy free parking in city centres around the country.
The Green Party is calling for the system to be updated to encourage people to move towards more environmentally-friendly transport.
Deputy Michael Healy Rae said the allowances form part of a civil servant’s income and suggested it was unfair for the Greens to be calling for change at a time when people are suffering financially due to the COVID-19 crisis.
“For politicians to be making suggestions like that at this point in time, I believe it is insensitive, I believe it is wrong and it shows that they are far removed from reality,” he said.
“We can all be coming up with these airy-fairy ideas and it might sound great but there is a price to pay. There is a reality for families who are struggling, who are trying to make ends meet and pay their ESB bills and their mortgages.
“I am really disappointed and upset that the Green Party would be so insensitive to be even suggesting this at this point in time.”
Environmental commentator John Gibbons said the current system offers people more money for driving bigger cars – and only a small fraction if they decide to cycle a bike.
“Maybe 20 years ago that made sense when the purpose of these levies was to try and recover the cost of motoring but we are in a different world now,” he said.
“The world we are now in now in is a world where we are trying to reduce waste and to minimise pollution and, in that world, it makes no sense whatsoever to pay people to drive a larger vehicle.”
