Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

My difficulty with what the Taoiseach said is that the Minister, Deputy Hogan, has confirmed publicly that there will be changes. He has said there will be "adjustments in the bands" and "adjustments in the rates". He has argued that the Minister for Finance needs to use resources from motor tax and adjustments in the bands to reduce the budget deficit. The Minister has said there will be changes. Other leaks have added to the Minister's statement. The Minister for Finance said VAT will increase by 2%. The Dáil should have been brought into these discussions at a much earlier stage. The budget will be a fait accompli by the time the Dáil gets a chance to discuss these issues adequately. Any analysis of the climate change agenda will show that the transport sector in Ireland has always been the biggest factor here. We need consistent policies to change the nature of emissions from transport in particular. It is the big area. The cumulative effect of the 2% increase in VAT; the pension levy, which will hit ordinary pensioners; the increase in motor tax that has been confirmed by the Minister, Deputy Hogan; and the lack of relief for mortgage holders will be a significant imposition on people on budget day. Has the Government considered the cumulative impact of all the tax measures confirmed by the Minister for Finance to date? Perhaps we do not yet know about some of them. Would the Taoiseach care to comment on the cumulative impact? Does he not accept that the move to a fuel-efficient motor tax model was a good idea and a strategy that should be continued?

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