Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour) | Oireachtas source

On making the net position better, it would classically be said that if we were going to invest in the economy and inject more current spending into the system, and do more with capital, which we need to be smarter about, to balance that out you would introduce certain forms of taxation to review that position in a way that would not impact on employment and would encourage productivity and balance things out. The Commission on Taxation and Welfare was very clear on the kinds of things we need to do for all kinds of reasons. We know the tax base is under pressure. We are told every single day, and it has been the case for years for different reasons from those we are experiencing today, that our overreliance on a small number of firms for corporation tax is dangerous, as is our overreliance on a small handful of FDI investors, mostly from the US, for our income tax base. All those risks are there.

Would the institute advise that the Commission on Taxation and Welfare report be dusted down again and properly considered? What forms of taxation that it has proposed could be considered to avoid damaging the economy and giving taxes on labour a bit of a break?