Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Independent)

This increase to VAT is dumb policy making. The only figure supplied is €650 million. A 15 year old studying junior certificate economics could do a better job than this. We know this measure will destroy jobs and that there will be second and third order effects. Where are the calculations? An army of people are paid very well to do these calculations. Where is the poverty impact analysis? Where is the total net effect of this? We know that this measure is regressive. The Tánaiste is not presenting any figures regarding the 21% rate of VAT but the bottom decile spends 16% of its income and the top decile spends 6% of its income on these products. By definition, the measure is regressive. According to the logic of the Tánaiste on the jobs initiative, this would destroy jobs. Where is the analysis? There is nothing to allow us to base our vote on and I ask the Tánaiste to withdraw this before coming back in four weeks' time with some analysis to suggest what this will do to the people of Ireland.

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