Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I will be very brief, partly because I must leave but also because I agree with everything the witnesses have said. There is not a great deal to add. On the tax issue, I probably read the report last year but we have discussed tax so much since then that perhaps Mr. Ginnell will remind me of his specific proposals to improve the tax situation. Does he think we should begin to question the use of the term "broaden the tax base"? I prefer the term "higher tax take" to "broaden the tax base". There appears to be an interpretation of broadening the tax base whereby there are more taxes on the people at the bottom. It becomes a justification for regressive taxation at the bottom rather than a tax system which would not quite narrow the base but the taxes would be loaded in a far more concentrated way on those who can afford them. Should we dispense with that term and could the witness be more specific on the taxation area?

On the self-employed, this is an issue all of us should think about more. It is something that arises in my clinics quite often but it has not been highlighted to the necessary extent. How many people who were self-employed are now in trouble and what must be done for them? Perhaps the witness could offer more detail of her suggestions in that area.

Finally, what are the witnesses' proposals regarding property tax and corporate tax?