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

I thank both contributors for their comments to the committee.

It is worth asking both of them, putting this debate in context, whatever about all the nuts and bolts and the questions of who and why, if they agree that aggressive tax avoidance by multinational corporations is a major contributor to the spectacular growth in the gap between the rich and poor.

Each year report after report from various international agencies points out that most of the 250 richest individuals are the CEOs of multinationals and that their personal wealth is the equivalent of that of the 46 poorest countries in the world. This level of extraordinary, unprecedented inequality is accelerating year on year. Does Mr. Keegan agree with the assertion that aggressive tax avoidance, be it through deferral, transfer pricing or the abuse of research and development clauses in tax codes, etc., is a major factor, if not the major one, that explains what any fair person would say is the morally unacceptable gap between the rich and poor?