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

Thank you. Mr. Noonan, the extensive availability of property tax incentives has been identified in front of this commission as one of the contributory factors to the financial crisis. Now, in this regard, to what extent do you believe that the capital gains tax exemptions for properties bought between December 2011 and December 2014 may have led to an overheating of the property market in recent times? And can you elaborate on why was it decided to grant exemption for capital gains tax, which benefits investors-speculators but is mostly irrelevant for owner-occupiers? And, lastly, has this policy made it more difficult for potential homeowners to get onto the housing ladder?