Ms Mary Rose Burke:

The Deputy is right that there is a dichotomy between the different areas. It is more than the fact that many of these issues are just points in a continuum. Our basic premise is that work should reward people, that they should be able to retain a lot of the money they earn, that the real way to prosperity is to make sure we get back, as close as we can, to full employment. Most of our policy decisions should be about encouraging growth and employment, which is the most effective way to get money back into people's pockets. It is a false argument to look at the yacht buying consumers at the very top because they are very few in number.

No matter what one does, it is not going to make a difference. The vast bulk of people earn the average wage which is why IBEC’s proposals will reward most people who are earning. Over half of earners will benefit from the increase in that entry level into the marginal tax rate would increase from €32,800 to €34,800. The numbers are skewed somewhat by those who pay tax on unearned income, part-time workers, for instance students and so forth.