Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

We have hamstrung ourselves and the issue of personal taxation needs to be examined in the new year. When we had high rates of personal taxation in the late 1990s and early noughties, jobs were created and we lived in a progressive society. The tax system was not deemed to be regressive at the time. We do not need to hamstring ourselves with commitments to previous policies if, in the common good, alternative policies can be shown to improve things. The same applies to the Croke Park agreement and welfare rates.

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