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

This is the section that deals with it. It is important to put down a marker and let the public know that multinationals that have been engaged in aggressive tax avoidance are going to be allowed to persist in that for another six years. There are questions over whether the Government is working hand-in-glove with multinationals to ensure, after the six year period expires, the successor regime will allow the aggressive tax avoidance to persist in a new way. The Government has said or done very little to convince me that is not the case. The commitment by this Government has been steadfast. It, like previous Governments, has been reluctant to look under the rock that is our corporate tax system and see the worms and maggots there. If the Government is serious about closing down this loophole which allows aggressive tax avoidance, I do not see why it does not do it this year or, at the latest, in January of next year. Ordinary citizens are not getting six years to adjust to austerity taxes. Why should these companies get it?