Seán Ardagh (Dublin South Central, Fianna Fail)

I know of two firms who received several million euro for professional services relating to NAMA. They are the accountancy firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and solicitors, Arthur Cox. Will the fees paid by Arthur Cox to the Law Society of Ireland and by PricewaterhouseCoopers to professional accountancy bodies no longer be exempt from tax? Professional bodies, such as the Law Society of Ireland, often provide services such as continuing professional development courses. Could one differentiate between fees which support the administration of such bodies and those which are used for education and training?

It is unfortunate that a number of people do not claim tax relief on the rent of private property because they do not know about it. I accept the need to reduce the relief because of the reduction in rents. This relief should be advertised more widely in order that those who are entitled to it actually get it.

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