Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have a number of questions concerning the council's report. The report highlights the fact that budget 2021 includes substantial permanent increases in spending that are not matched with a clear future funding source and that this cannot be considered a fiscally prudent approach to budgeting. Although the Government initially said it would not raise taxes in 2021, it is now saying that there may be some increases in tax. We know that a number of EU countries such as Spain, France, Norway and Belgium along with Switzerland have a wealth tax. We have also seen that Argentina is even experimenting with a once-off levy on its 12,000 richest citizens - the so-called millionaires tax - to help pay for the recovery from Covid-19. What is the council's view on the imposition of a tax on wealth more broadly defined as an additional revenue-raising measure to help to improve fiscal sustainability and overall budgetary balance?