Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am not arguing for refundable tax credits throughout the tax code and I am not arguing that Revenue has the capacity to do it; I am arguing for one relief. The Minister makes the valid point that if we make a tax credit refundable in one area, there would be an expectation other areas. I am sure every PAYE worker will have an expectation that the Minister should exempt one third of their income from income tax because he has just done it for 1,000 employees. It is the same argument. Is there now an expectation that all other workers will get one third of their income exempted from income tax in the way that has been done for SARP? Do they have a legitimate expectation? Yes. Will the Minister do it? Not a chance in the world.

The committee could make this decision, because of the issues for renters and the pressure they are under, and because certain people who are renting and seeing increases, even within the RPZs of 4%, are being pushed over the edge and into homelessness and back to their families. It is weighing heavily on them in terms of financial stress. We all know what financial stress can do to one's physical and mental health. There is an issue as the system is broken. If the Minister introduces a refundable tax credit for this cohort of individuals, a minority of them would avail of it and that is easily within the capacity of the Revenue.

I acknowledge what the Minister is saying. We are having a factual argument but there is an underlying issue. That is the problem. We are dealing with one issue in the Bill and we will deal with other areas where there are nice wee benefits. These guys are crying out for help. This is not radical. We had a tax relief when rents were half the price they are and when we did not have 10,000 people homeless or the pressure and the crisis we have.