Michael Noonan (Limerick East, Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister of State for his introductory remarks and I compliment everybody involved in producing this fine piece of work, in particular the Office of the Revenue Commissioners, the Parliamentary Counsel and officials of the Department of Finance. It is a really fine piece of work and follows the excellent work done previously on the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997, the Stamp Duties Consolidation Act 1999 and the Capital Acquisitions Tax Act 2003, which were consolidated and introduced here. It is really a work for stakeholders, professional tax advisers and, indeed, for Members of the Houses of the Oireachtas. It puts the VAT code within a single set of covers and makes it very easily accessible to all of us whose work requires us to have an interest in these matters.

I should like to compliment everybody who has been involved in a fine piece of work. I was going through it earlier and I found it is very accessible. The explanatory memorandum, which accompanies the Bill, makes it even more accessible because it is in the simplest of English and does not use some of the more arcane expressions one sometimes finds in legislation. Its accessibility is its principal virtue and I an sure that all those who labour in tax law and in accountancy offices will be very pleased that they can take it from the shelves or look at it on their computer screens, and deal with the information it contains in a ready manner.

There is not much more to be said in Parliament about this particular legislation. As a consolidation Bill it has been certified by the Attorney General as adding nothing to the law and taking nothing away from it as it exists. Of course we accept that. It will now proceed, as consolidation Bills do to the Select Committee on Consolidation, of which my colleague, Deputy Jim O'Keeffe, is a member. Even under the thorough scrutiny of that committee, the amendments will be confined to matters of drafting, in effect, and no amendments of substance will be appropriate.

I do not need to delay the House. I thank the Minister of State for his explanatory remarks, and again I thank all those who have been involved in bringing forward this consolidation Bill.

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