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

I have many questions, but I might come back in later.

We were doing some work today on the question and tonight in the Dáil we will be discussing corporate taxation. I noticed something last week when I was looking at the Department of Finance study of the effective rates of tax in this country. The deductions on total profits in 2006 came to €5 billion, off approximately €69 billion in gross profits. Has Mr. McCarthy noticed that too? By 2011 - the latest available figures - deductions amounted to €21 billion. I understand the Department of Finance paper indicates that much of the figure is made up of royalties. Does Mr. McCarthy find it alarming that, according to the paper, the royalty deductions which reduce taxable profits increase dramatically, from 10% of total profits to 33% of total profits between 2006 and 2011? Did he not consider that somewhat concerning?