Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

And, Tánaiste, to quote from your statement on a separate issue: "The property bubble was squeezing the living standards of ordinary people and loading them with an unsustainable debt burden while simultaneously enriching wealthy individuals and companies who availed of a huge range of property based tax shelters." One of the tax shelters, or lessening of tax was introduced by the Fianna Fáil-PD Government in the 1997 December budget, reducing capital gains tax from 40% to 20%, which was enormously helpful to those who were speculating on building land and, as was seen in the media, making large amounts of money. But, in 2007, why did your manifesto say specifically that you would remain with the low rate, rather than going back to 40%, or even 60%, which you had looked for?