Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)

It is very important to realise that some of the amendments put forward would have had the effect of undermining section 5 of the Competition Act 2002, which would have gone against everything said by many people. The Government was accused of populism amid concerns about stealth taxes and rising prices. There are no stealth taxes. Any taxes which are imposed are done so through this House or by local authorities in an open and transparent manner, so they cannot be described as stealth taxes.

The issue of rising prices is one which is clearly of concern to the Government. It is not my fault if it is not of concern to those on the Opposition benches.

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