Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Amendment No. 69 is in this group of amendments so I wish to discuss that. My colleague, Deputy Martin Kenny, will discuss our other amendment, No. 66. Amendment No. 69 calls for a report to be laid before the Dáil which would include a risk assessment of the sustainability of stamp duty receipts from commercial property. This section of the Bill deals with the increase in stamp duty from 2% to 6%. Agricultural land is captured in that, and that is dealt with in amendment No. 66 and the amendment tabled by Deputies Fitzmaurice and Mattie McGrath.

I wish to speak on the risk associated with the figures the Minister is using in respect of commercial stamp duty. Commercial stamp duty was at the heart of the banking crisis in the last decade. It is important that commercial property is monitored. Sinn Féin supports an increase in commercial stamp duty so we do not have a problem in that regard. However, we are concerned about the figures the Department is relying on with regard to the income to be generated.