Mr. Brian Hayes:

That is impossible to quantify as the GNI is done on an annualised basis. Since 2014, Ireland has been a net contributor of very small amounts of money. The current budget is approximately €1 trillion over seven years. The big question is not so much what individual countries will pay, although that aspect is important here, it is, rather, what will be the size of the total pot. However, that has yet to be determined. I would see a small increase over a seven-year period. In the context of a budget of €60 billion, that would mean we would pay €240 million. Of course the contribution will increase but our economy will grow as a consequence. We should make the argument that the reason we moved from being a poor country to being a relatively wealthy one is due to the fact that the Single Market provided our businesses and communities with an opportunity to sell into a bigger market. We should never lose sight of that fact.

It is an open question, in the context of the issues raised by the Senator, as to how much support Brussels will provide. I do not think the matter is contingent on tax because, even since the common consolidated corporate tax base, CCCTB, proposal was reinvented by Pierre Moscovici, there has not been a herd of countries wishing for this to happen. We know that at least nine member states are against the proposal. It is not a case of little old Ireland versus the big bad Commission, a significant number of medium-sized and small member states are against this aspect as well.