Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)

Next come our developers and speculators who have made fortunes on tax breaks which were supposed to stimulate growth but were used instead to line the pockets of the already rich. They should cough up a few euro as well.

These untapped sources should be targeted first before the Government moves to target either public or private sector workers. This is also good economics because the more disposable income available to working men and women and their families, the more will be spent in the economy and therefore the more support for the retail sector and small and medium-sized businesses. That is why the Labour Party is calling in this Private Members' motion on the Government to go back to the drawing board and find an equitable solution. An equitable solution is the only solution and it is right for the public sector workforce to demand it.

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