Dara Murphy (Cork North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 1:

To delete all words after "That the Sub-Committee on Global Taxation" and substitute the following:

"shall report to the Joint Committee following its consideration of evidence from the OECD; the Department of Finance; the Revenue Commissioners; the Minister for Finance, and other relevant taxation and academic experts on the global corporate/multinational taxation architecture and Ireland's relationship with that tax architecture. Such report to recommend, if it sees it as appropriate, as to further enquires and proposed witnesses."

Multinational companies come to Ireland for a variety of reasons, not least our access to the eurozone, our well-educated workforce, the cost of doing business and the taxation system. There is merit in the joint committee seeking to discover and engage in a process of understanding how our tax infrastructure works in an international context. My amendment largely mirrors the motion tabled by Deputy Pearse Doherty that the joint committee should invite before it representatives of the OECD, which is carrying out a study of world taxation practices, the Department of Finance, Revenue Commissioners and also the Minister. The sub-committee had a discussion on whether other groups should appear before it. If it is to complete its work quickly and with clarity, it must have clear terms of reference.

No representative of a small company or large multinational should be put in a position of having to come to the House to discuss how it engages with our taxation system. To do so would create difficulties for the company from a competition point of view. It should be noted also that we are competing with other countries as we seek to attract multinational business.

Reference was made to part of a company that does not employ anyone in Ireland. The company in question employs 4,500 people, many of whom live in my constituency of Cork North Central and the Chairman's constituency. To add to Deputy Doherty's motion, essentially by having other named experts in international taxation appear before the sub-committee, would help members understand the issue and make recommendations to the joint committee on what actions it should take subsequently. It is important to have such clarity and I propose the amendment to this end.