Mr. Seamus Coffey:

If one wishes to increase income tax, one can choose how to go about doing so. The rates or bands can be changed, or additional rates or bands introduced. Those choices are available. If additional tax revenues are generated in a sustainable fashion, they can be included in the overall pool available and one can have additional spending on that basis. In recent years there was the increase in VAT from 9% to 13.5%, which generated an additional €500 million or €600 million. In 2019 that figure was available for spending and included, while in 2018 there was the increase in stamp duty on commercial real estate which generated a couple of hundred million euro. Once these figures are included in the arithmetic, the money is available for spending. We have no issue with that-----