Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 5 November 2019

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach

Finance Bill 2019: Committee Stage

Photo of Paschal DonohoePaschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate the reasons for the Deputies tabling this amendment. In my response I acknowledged there is a world of difference between the effect of carbon pricing on somebody who has a bus or a Luas at the end of their road and somebody who does not. Not acknowledging that reality is going to make it even more difficult to try to win the arguments around changes such as this in the future. I take on board Deputy Fitzmaurice's comments when he spoke about the difference in public transport options between living in Dublin or living in Ballinalsoe. There is an obvious and very big difference, but I differ from the Deputies on their proposed tax credit suggestion. First, if we were to go down that road, anybody anywhere would be able to claim it, including those who live in cities and who have public transport options.

Second, and I appreciate the difficulties with this, but over time we are looking to provide the changes in respect of where employment is created, how we organise Bus Éireann and incentives for hybrid and electric vehicles to try to change the travel journeys that have been referred to which, ultimately, are difficult for those who are making them but also have consequences for our environment.

Finally, there would be compliance difficulties with something like this that the Deputies may well feel will not be realised but, ultimately, we have lots of other experience within the tax code whereby when we bring in changes such as this but do not have a way of proving that they are going to be properly implemented, difficulties occur.

The Deputies referred to middle Ireland on a number of occasions. I know well the needs of middle Ireland, like they do. We are trying to make progress in meeting their needs in other ways but I, regrettably, do not feel that this is one of the ways in which we can do it.

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