Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It was not put to the committee whether we would invite the Revenue Commissioners. The Chairman went on television to ask Ms Feehily to come in. We were never asked if the she should be invited. When the Government Deputies legislated for the tax they blamed it on Fianna Fáil, and now this is being implemented, they are blaming it on the Revenue Commissioners. It is completely farcical for a Labour Party Deputy to ask if Ms Feehily had any hand, act or part in bringing this legislation forward. It is also farcical to suggest the Revenue Commissioners have become like a hotel booking site and that Government backbenchers are asking the Revenue Commissioners to start to accept postdated cheques as a matter of routine. I presume revenue commissioners in Third World countries do not do that routinely but I am sure it happens in very hard cases from time to time. Ms Feehily has been put in this position and has clarified a couple of points I wanted clarified.

I dealt with a very hard case in my office last week. A person clearly did not understand the system at all and the wrong valuation was put on his property last year for some reason. Is it possible for him to change it? This man should be on the lowest property band. He is living in a house in very bad condition.