Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will be brief because I am aware there are many amendments and many Members have touched on many of the issues already. I want to touch on a few matters regarding this Bill.

The introduction of this property tax will be one of the biggest issues facing this Government. There are families - I am not sure whether the Minister's colleagues come across this but we on this side of the House are coming across it every day of the week - who cannot put bread on the table and cannot put close on their children, and whose worry this Christmas is that they cannot even buy a Christmas present for their young children, and now the Minister is imposing a property tax on them.

This week alone, a married couple came into my office worrying about their three children. This was a middle-class couple, both of whom were working and at the end of the month, with everything paid, all they had left was €10 or €15 to enjoy themselves, and now the Minister is imposing a property tax on them. The big worry is that the Minister is bringing the Revenue Commissioners in to collect it. It is bad enough to impose a tax on them, but now there is that fear.

These are law abiding citizens. They do not want to break the law. They want to be in the position to pay their taxes. They want to be in the position to put their children through school and college and to service their loans, but many of them are not in that position at present.

The Minister cannot cut his way out of recession. The only way one can get out of recession is to spend one's way out. The Minister is taking money out of the economy, people are not spending and businesses are closing.

The Minister spoke of deducting this at source from they pay. What about those who are in rented houses where the landlord is supposed to pay? Will they get away with this and the landlord not pay? I am aware of cases around the country where landlords own 20, 30 or 40 houses and have not even paid the household charge. How will the Minister get the tax off them? Those living in rented accommodation will be exempt and the poor ones are being penalised for buying their house. They paid their taxes on the house when they bought it and now the Minister will impose another charge on them.

As many Members stated here, why must this Bill be guillotined tonight? While seated on the other side of the House on many occasions I saw the Members opposite expressing outrage when guillotines were imposed. They even stated when on this side of the House that if they were in government they would never do that. One of the most important Bills, that will affect every person because we all must live in houses, will be guillotined at 11 o'clock tonight. The Minister need not bring in the guillotine tonight. He should give everybody an opportunity to debate this.

There was mention that we would see improved services in the local authorities. We will not. I am aware that one local authority stated that if it got extra funding, it would use it to pay off its loans. The funding will end up going back to the banks.

The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Varadkar, stated that if one wanted one's estate road tarred or side road tarred, the locals would have to pay towards that as well - he is providing a €10 million fund. That is another tax.

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