Timmy Dooley (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for coming before the committee and for his forthright explanation of the many challenges that still lie ahead. I would like to raise just one issue with the Minister in addition to all the other myriad issues he has addressed and which have been well ventilated at this stage. Some retailers, particularly those in the west and those around the east coast that are served by Dublin Airport, are concerned that the new threshold included in this Bill for the money back, if one likes, or tax-free nature of shopping through airports is set too high at €75. I know there was an original proposal to set it much higher, but there is a belief that retailers, particularly those at airports and those that serve the US and Canadian markets, will be disproportionately affected by this measure. I know there is justification for it in the context of the travel between Ireland and the UK and that there was a necessity to address that, but there is real concern among retail outlets that serve the tourist market, particularly from the United States and Canada. It must be recognised that many of these retailers have had a very difficult year. They have had no business because they have had no tourism. They are looking to next year and looking to try to rebuild their businesses. There is a view that this threshold will have a negative impact on their sales and will further negatively impact them as they try to recover their business. While I know it falls outside the diplomatic efforts the Minister is making, he might still wish to comment on behalf of the Government and in particular on behalf of the Minister for Finance.