Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

The Minister should explain the reason certain types of contributions are valued more than others in the tax structure. For instance, highly paid individuals who make pension contributions of €100,000 receive tax relief of €42,000. In comparison, the position of carers is one of extreme disadvantage. The Minister should explain the reason he lavishes so much resources on high income earners in finance legislation while offering few advantages to those on low incomes. It would be interesting to learn how much tax relief for home carers costs, as compared with tax relief paid in respect of pension contributions for high earners.

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