Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

The Taoiseach is providing a shelter for people who are buying. This pertains to the major developers; big high-rolling development land purchases are what is being protected. To tell Members this practice has been around for some time makes it worse. It means it has been around since the time when serious money was being made from those who tried to make a home for themselves by purchasing their first homes in the face of the amount of profiteering that took place in the property market. This does not offer any comfort.

The Taoiseach has reminded Members of yesterday's exchanges. I asked him yesterday about the statement made last week by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy John Gormley, who is absent, to the effect the Government intended to introduce a new windfall tax on land and the sale of land. How does the Taoiseach expect Members to believe that the Government will introduce a new windfall tax on development land when it will not even implement the taxes that are already on the Statute Book? This does not make sense.

See this speech in context