Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)

I will say it again: absolute madness. It is something the Green Party would come up with - a proposal to take €80 out of every €100 earned when a person sells a site in rural Ireland for €50,000 or €100,000, even though most of these people are selling land because they want to prop up their businesses or farms. If we want to keep rural Ireland alive, and if we have any interest in making Ireland greener, as the Green Party is supposed to, the first thing we need to ensure is that people have finance. We must not crucify people with an 80% tax. Most of them are trying to educate their children or care for their elderly relatives. Deputy Curran has rural roots. I ask him not to allow the Government to implement this. He is closer to the Cabinet because he is a junior Minister. He must not allow this to happen, for everyone's sake.

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