Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)

Excellent. In that way, people will be in the know. At that time, the Minister responded with another question which I will paraphrase. He asked whether there was any type of tax that people actually liked. I suggested there are taxes that people are willing to pay, such as a progressive tax. With the latter system, the rate of tax increases on the amount that is taxable. Thus, the incidence of taxation is lower on those with low incomes, but is much higher for those with a greater ability to pay. It is not a new idea and has been around since the 18th century. It is a tax that is universally recognised as the best way of imposing taxation on people but, unfortunately, it is not the ideology that is currently being used by Fine Gael or the Labour Party. The continuation of the USC is an example of a regressive taxation system, as is the pension levy. In addition, the Government's proposed property tax and water tax are all flat taxes which have a regressive impact on those paying them. Why is it so difficult to convince the Government of the importance of having progressive taxation, when it is such a universally understood and accepted tenet of tax?

We also have difficulties with the meagreness of proposals concerning the jobs initiative and the Finance (No. 2) Bill. Some 440,000 people are unemployed while 50,000 are emigrating annually. The latter figure is akin to the number of students sitting the leaving certificate examination each year. It is shocking that so many individuals are forced to leave the country. Emigration has been a gaping sore in Irish society since the Famine. In many ways it could be said that emigration is the curse of the Irish. Thanks to Fianna Fáil's gross economic mismanagement and the continuation of a policy of retrenchment by Fine Gael and Labour, more than 500,000 people have been made unemployed or forced to emigrate.

This issue is of such magnitude that it demands a significant response. It demands a Keynesian-type stimulus, something similar to what was on the lips of Fine Gael and Labour Deputies during the election campaign, yet we have been given a shockingly damp squib. It is sad that, despite the number of possibilities presented to the Government to improve the situation, it has said, "No".

Many sectors of society feel let down that they were ignored in the jobs initiative. I have spoken with farmers and those involved in the agrifood sector who are disappointed that their sector was ignored. Let us walk through the different sectors that have been ignored - ICT, health and life sciences, financial services, creative industries, marine, medical services, education, transport, logistics and distribution. They have all been left out of the jobs initiative. One would imagine that two parties that have been in opposition for 14 years would have had time to develop comprehensive plans for these areas so that they could hit the ground running in terms of implementation. Unfortunately, this has not been the case.

I have been raising the issue of reform of the enterprise sector since being elected. It should have been a pillar of the jobs initiative. Last week, I was telephoned by a woman from the west who was interested in setting up a food company. She has knowledge, experience and drive. She needs a small helping hand from the State to carry out a feasibility study. She applied to her county enterprise board for a small grant of approximately €3,000 or €4,000, which would allow her to conduct studies of the product, whether it would last on shelves, whether it passed certain sales regulations, etc. She was denied the money because the board told her it had none left for the year. Bear in mind that we are in May. An individual who wanted to set up an indigenous business to create indigenous jobs was told "No" by the Government.

This is not the only type of grant that has been exhausted by many county enterprise boards. For example, an employment grant normally amounts to €10,000 and is applied for twice per year, that is, €5,000 after the first application and €5,000 six months later. Its purpose is to allow the applicant to employ someone new or take himself or herself off social welfare and to develop a new business. Consider the economics behind this grant. After eight months or so of social welfare savings and PRSI and tax contributions, the grant pays for itself. However, individuals looking for it from some county enterprise boards are being told no money is available. This is a shocking indictment of the enterprise development sector.

Many of the Members opposite will have spoken to the hundreds and thousands of small businesses throughout the State that are in dire need of micro finance. In many cases, credit unions have deposits that could be reasonably, well and safely transferred into micro credit for business. Some of the county enterprise boards launched similar campaigns a number of months ago whereby they would work hand in hand with the credit unions to develop the micro credit sector. However, they are no longer being allowed to do so. Again, the State has said, "No". Opportunities for indigenous jobs arise every day, but they are being ignored by the State.

When I asked the Minister how many jobs the initiative would create, he might have been wise when he refused to give the number. Neither he nor the Deputies os mo chomhair were shy before the election when they stated they would create 100,000 jobs.

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