Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

This Bill underpins six austerity budgets, the most recent of which is having a devastating affect on low and middle income families and services. The policies of this Government - of which we have seen more in the past week - continue to sow the seeds of industrial arrest, in particular in Laois-Offaly, where there are many prison officers, gardaí, hospital workers, attendants and so on. While the headline pay of these people may appear large when deductions are made they are left with little. Families are finding it increasingly difficult to balance their household budgets.

This Bill provides tax breaks for those who least need them at a time when the Government continues to hammer vulnerable groups. The PRSI change will further strangle the economy because as people's incomes are reduced they will have less money to spend in the domestic economy. The issue of upward only rent reviews has not yet been dealt with. The upward only rent scheme is a landlords' charter. It is proving to be a huge obstacle, particularly in provincial towns where there is low footfall in terms of the maintenance of the viability of businesses. I ask that the Government revisit this issue. Upward only rent reviews are squeezing the life out of businesses that are only breaking even and hanging on.

Section 29 provides for generous tax breaks for the owners of Georgian houses in Limerick, which is the constituency of the Minister for Finance, and in Waterford. Such people can claim up to 100% tax back on money spent over ten years. The irony of this is the commitment given by Government in the programme for Government to regeneration, in particular in Limerick. Little has been done in that regard and time does not permit me to go into detail. Everybody knows that little has happened in terms of real regeneration of particular areas. As I stated, this Bill introduces tax breaks for owners of Georgian houses. What type of message does this send out to people living in areas needing regeneration?

Sinn Féin made a comprehensive budget submission, which was costed and solutions based, to the Minister for Finance. We could hold it up to any of the budget submissions made between 2008 and 2010 by the Government parties when n Opposition.

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