Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Cathaoirleach for letting me substitute for my colleague. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Tánaiste as teacht os comhair an choiste seo ar an ábhar fíorthábhachtach seo.

It is well known that taxation and regulation are mechanisms used to modify taxpayer behaviour and corporate behaviour, but the presence of the investor court system means that corporations will have recourse to a kind of court to which ordinary people do not have recourse. This has the potential to create a chilling effect whereby policymakers could be and will be hesitant to use the tax and regulatory system to try to change corporate behaviour. This will create significant risks and could place limits on legislators acting in the public interest. It will also mean that the State could incur significant fines or, even where cases are won, large legal fees. I am interested in what the Government has done to examine the financial impact assessment of CETA. Is the Tánaiste concerned about the financial impact it may have?