Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I have sympathy with the Government here. Whatever deficiencies there might be in the failure to address the issue of incomes in excess of €100,000, it is not a reason to vote against what is a progressive measure. There are genuine questions about the other two resolutions and I would appreciate explanations. I support this measure because to be hit with this extra level of universal social charge, a person would have had to have earned during his or her working life approximately €120,000 a year and be getting a generous pension of €60,000. The idea that one would be brought up to the same level of universal social charge as somebody who is working and earning that money is reasonable and the measure is at least a move in the direction of wealth redistribution. Although not a reason to vote against it, the measure, if the Government can do so, raises the question of why it cannot raise the income tax level for those earning more than €100,000 a year. I do not understand it.

In response to the Deputies from the Labour Party who were heckling on this matter, whatever dispute there might be about how much can be raised from a wealth tax, we certainly acknowledged in our submission that there is a dispute about it. We do not have accurate figures on wealth and assets and therefore it must be estimates. We accept that fully.

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