Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)

Fine Gael Members talked out of both sides of their mouths. They said the pay deal did nothing to tackle many issues but, on the positive side, said it offered stability. The Green Party and Fianna Fáil proposed, supported and delivered that pay deal.

We have made tough decisions on taxation. The Labour Party has proposed a third rate at 48%. That would mean a marginal rate of income tax of 62% for self-employed people earning more than €100,000. In economics, marginal tax rates are important because they are one of the factors that determine the incentives to increase income. At high marginal tax rates, the individual has less incentive to earn more. We must encourage small and medium sized enterprises. We will not do that if we tax them at 60%.

We are taking action on the environment and creating green jobs. A carbon levy was talked about for years and, despite the Opposition's efforts, it is in place. Fine Gael and the Labour Party wanted opt-outs for commuters, agriculture, rural dwellers and whatever you're having yourself.

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