Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

Fine Gael does not have much credibility in terms of resolving some of the pressures in the domestic economy that have given rise to some of the cost issues, which we need to move to address. There is no question that costs are a fundamental issue in any developed economy. We are conscious of that and it is the reason the Minister for Finance, Deputy Cowen, took a clear premeditated decision in the last three budgets not to facilitate any increases and not to increase indirect taxation in any way.

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