Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin says that there needs to be a carbon tax introduced as part of Budget 2020.

His comments come as his party prepare to meet with Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe to discuss the next budget as part of the confidence and supply agreement.

Speaking to RTE’s Morning Ireland, Deputy Martin says that his party will be pushing for the introduction of the controversial tax.

‘There would have to be a climate change dimension in the Budget,’ Micheal Martin said.

‘We believe there has to be a carbon tax.’

It was widely reported that the carbon tax would be introduced in last year’s Budget, but motorists were relieved when the tax didn’t come to pass.

It was later reported that six out of ten voters were opposed to the hikes in fuel taxes or the introduction of the carbon tax.

The government may be more likely to introduce the carbon tax this year as Ireland are ‘completely off course’ to meet climate change targets.

The Climate Change Advisory Council said that targets set out for 2020 and 2030 cannot realistically be met based on climate action taken within Ireland at the moment.

‘Unless we introduce a carbon tax, start retrofitting homes, start making changes in agriculture, start rolling out the infrastructure for electric cars, we’re just not going to get there by 2030,’ the chair of the council said.

Elsewhere, Micheal Martin also advised that he believes that a general election will be held next year.

The Fianna Fail leader said that an election would not have been appropriate this year due to the uncertainty in the British parliament and the possibility of a no-deal Brexit.

Deputy Martin wasn’t shy about his asspirations for his party to take over power from Fine Gael.

‘Our preference is to lead [the] party in a government with smaller parties,’ he told RTE.

‘We are frustrated by the failure of the government in health and Brexit and other areas.’