Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We have concerns about Financial Resolutions Nos. 10 and 11. These will allow the Government to tax savings and use the revenue to pay for the promissory note. We need to encourage people to put those savings into the economy. We will vote against those resolutions.

With regard to Financial Resolutions Nos. 13 and 14, Sinn Féin proposed a 10% increase in capital gains and capital acquisitions tax, moving the rate from 30% to 40%. We proposed to reduce the tax-free threshold by 25%. In total, from the estimation of the Department of Finance, this would have raised over €300 million. According to colleagues on my left, the Department only contains amateurs and clowns, and we should disregard any opinion given by the Department in replies to parliamentary questions. Apparently, when parliamentary questions are asked and Departments give a response, they can only be amateurish and the work of clowns.

See this speech in context