Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 10 May 2023

Committee on Budgetary Oversight

Report of the Commission on Taxation and Welfare: Discussion (Resumed)

Photo of Pearse DohertyPearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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I thank Professor Moloney for chairing the commission and for appearing before the Committee on Budgetary Oversight. I thank all her colleagues on the commission who assisted her in the task. It is important that we register our appreciation of the commission's work. While I am sure people will disagree with certain aspects of the report and like other things, it is a valuable resource for policymakers and I thank the commission for it. In that spirit, I distance myself and my party colleagues from the comments of the Taoiseach. The work was carried out to an excellent standard and has given us considerable food for thought.

The report refers to shifting the balance of taxation away from labour and towards the taxation of wealth. I think that is a good summary of the proposals. It recommends that capital gains tax principal private residence relief should be restricted over time. That would be a very radical departure. How would the commission envisage private residence relief being restricted?