Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

Deputy Bruton has pointed out on a number of occasions, particularly over the last 12 months, that one cannot tax one's way back to prosperity. What is the projected shortfall that the Government will have to deal with when it compiles its budget on 9 December next? Does the Taoiseach attribute the fall-off in taxes to the fall in employment? Does he now accept it was a mistake to impose taxes amounting to €6 billion last year?

It is difficult to accept projections of this nature from the Department on a year-on, year-off basis when that Department produced a NAMA business plan asking us to believe monetary values for ten years down the line. Clearly, the range of taxes imposed by the Minister for Finance is now creating very difficult circumstances. When the tax figures of the self-employed are submitted at the end of November, it will be discovered that circumstances are even worse.

Job creation must be central to our approach. Given that almost 500,000 people are out of work, and leaving aside the well-recognised problems associated with the public finances, the banking sector and the extension of credit to businesses, will the Taoiseach state the three main priorities of the Government to get people back to work? As he well recognises, the only way to deal with social welfare lists, to get capital moving again and increase revenue is to put people back to work. Everyone is very concerned and angry about the circumstances that obtain at present.

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