Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

In the budget for 2010, the Minister for Finance announced a fairly modest measure whereby tax exiles would pay a levy to the Irish State. This was subject to a number of fairly generous conditions, and the tax exiles would have an income in excess of €1 million per year and property worth more than €5 million. To date, not a single cent has been collected from that levy. In reply to Deputy Shortall, the Minister for Finance indicated a few days ago that the first amount to be collected will not be due until 31 October 2011.

Meanwhile, in yesterday's budget payments to carers have been cut for the second time by €8 per week. People on the blind pension have seen a cut for the second time, again by €8 per week. Widows have seen the same cut and people who have lost their jobs have been also cut for the second time. All these cuts, which are second cuts, will come into effect in approximately three weeks' time, at the beginning of the new year.

Will the Taoiseach explain why the measure on tax exiles, which was introduced last year, will take two years to come into effect whereas people on some of the lowest incomes in the country, including carers, widows, people who have lost their jobs and blind people, have been hit twice in the same period? The pain being inflicted on them comes into effect immediately.

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