Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

It is not just about rescuing Fianna Fáil but the country. We need this information to see how we can put together a coherent, fair and just approach to taxation. We still have the people jetting in and out, who are privileged to have made great wealth and have probably created much employment in this country. Everybody says they are great people and good luck to their success. However because of their situation as tax exiles, they are in the happy position where they do not have to worry about the Minister's marginal rates of tax going up that much. It does not bother them. If there is a house tax, who is to know but the devalued pad on Shrewsbury Road may be charged at only €1,000?

That brings us back to this conundrum in Ireland where the people in the middle bear a lot of tax. They are willing to do it for services up to a point. However they are not willing to be completely fleeced and if the Minister has a Commission on Taxation coming up with what seems like additional tax proposals, there is a very strong case to have it published. In the United States and other countries, including all the Scandinavian countries, all these papers would be published on-line as a matter of course to add to the public debate so we can reach a reasoned conclusion on how we genuinely reform tax in this country and make a just tax system.

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