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

I asked that question because we are talking about broadening the tax base. It is also why I asked it in the previous discussion. That is the focus of the committee's work. I note that all of the organisations here have come out quite strongly against the hotel tax, saying that it will impact on our competitiveness. Those of us who travel know that such a tax is levied in many places. It is quite common across the US, in Italy and perhaps in Germany. Out of interest, because Mr. O'Mara Walsh specifically mentioned Scotland, is he aware if such a tax is in place there? How do Scottish hotel prices compare with those here? We all know that hotel prices have risen substantially over recent years. To look at Dublin hotel prices as an example, because many Deputies stay in hotels during the week and can compare pre-Covid prices with post-Covid prices like for like, what were the contributing factors in causing these prices to rise as significantly as they have?