Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I do not think any Deputy in this House should incite the public to break the law. Deputy Pearse Doherty made no such incitement. He presented his protest in a fair and reasonable manner. He is absolutely opposed to the Bill but he suggested that the opposition to it should be legal. That is a fair point of view. He also personalised the payment of the tax by suggesting that the Taoiseach and I would have no problem in paying. He said that when the letter would drop on the Taoiseach's mat he would not have a problem in writing a cheque for it. We can return that in kind. I do not think Deputy Adams will have any problem either paying tax on his house in Louth or on his house in Donegal because he does not seem to have any problem paying a much higher property tax on his house in Belfast. If we want to get personal we can throw brick-bats across the House. On the other hand, I admire Deputy Doherty's quoting of Dick Mulcahy. I did not think he was a student of his. He referred to hanging out one's brightest colours. That would brighten any Fine Gaeler's heart to hear him quoting that tonight.

Deputy Clare Daly raised the issue of pyrite which she has pursued. A measure to deal with it is contained in the Bill. We can talk about that. We have previously made arguments against her suggestion that we could have an alternative source of taxation either by increasing corporation tax or income tax. Either of those taxes is a tax on employment and one of the worst problems we face is the high level of unemployment and the high level of structural unemployment.

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