Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Notwithstanding concerns about implementation in different jurisdictions, and I hope that the OECD's base erosion and profit shifting, BEPS, process will be implemented faithfully by all those who have signed up, it is a significant piece of legislation. When I read in the media that the Finance Bill was going to be €800 I thought about packing my sleeping bag and flask but I was glad to see that the Bill ran to 271 pages. That being said, I do not think we have ever had a section as big as this one or at least not in my time as a representative. I commend the officials in the Department and Revenue who have worked on this legislation. They have legislated for something that is very fresh and kept pace with things.

We talked about deferral penalties for companies, Due to being familiar with how all of this works, the Revenue Commissioners will implement this measure and look at the cheques. What preparations are being done within that side to make sure we have enough staff? Do we have the relevant staff? Do we need to recruit more individuals to look at what is a significant change in Irish tax law and, indeed, global tax law? We need to ensure there is proper operation, as intended, of something that is very new.