A windfall tax could solve RHI

The Northern Ireland Executive have created this mess over RHI but we have no confidence in their ability to fix it, not after the disaster that was the failed attempt to save the United Airlines flight to New York.

By The Newsroom

Published 19th Dec 2016, 18:26 BST

Updated 29th Dec 2016, 15:11 BST

As a responsible party of opposition, we are identifying a solution, a windfall tax on excessive and unjustifiable profits.

If I had a wood burner, I would have to put my pellet bills and boiler costs in at the end of the year and any excess profit would be taxed so that you lose the profit.

There are several precedents for a windfall tax on energy, but at this stage, it would probably fall to Westminster to agree the enabling legislation.

If that is the case, I hope the Executive can show enough maturity to swallow their pride and let London mark their homework, not that it would be the first time.

Philip Smith, Ulster Unionist MLA Strangford