Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick East, Fine Gael)

I welcome both amendments. We speak about promoting a greener environment. Costs will go up and people are entitled to tax relief. I come from the practical school of politics and cannot understand why one cannot provide tax relief at source on environmental service charges. As the Acting Chairman, Deputy Cregan will be aware, there is one main environmental service company collecting bins in my region. It is a sophisticated company with fantastic systems. It should be simple at the end of every year for it, like any employer completing a P35, to file a return with the names and PPS number of every customer who has availed of its service and link it with the Revenue system in order that the people in question obtain the relief. Where tags are sold in shops, let the individual concerned go to the local authority providing the tags to file a return at the end of the year. We need to progress to a system which is straightforward and equitable and by which people would receive tax relief. In many cases with various tax reliefs many taxpayers are not obtaining relief because they are not claiming it. I am interested in hearing the Tánaiste's views on this practical measure that could be applied to provide relief at source on bin charges.

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