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

Underlying what the Minister said and what we on the left claim is a philosophical difference of opinion translated into tax policy. I would go further than Deputy Doherty’s proposal. In our budget submission, we proposed four bands on salaries over €100,000, the first on incomes between €100,000 and €120,000, the second, €120,000 to €140,000, the third, €140,000 to €160,000 and the fourth, all earnings over €160,000. In replies to parliamentary questions on this proposal, the Department of Finance claimed such a measure would raise €920 million. That would just about pay for taking people earning up to the average industrial wage out of the USC completely and reduce it for those earning between €35,000 and €70,000. It would be a serious redistributive measure.