Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his reply. We will have a fuller debate on this issue tomorrow when the legislation comes before the House, but today I want to focus on the issue of ability to pay. The Government's efforts to take ability to pay into account are woefully inadequate. For example, a family earning anything more than €480 per week gross - before tax and other deductions - is not entitled to defer the property tax. A family with three or four children will probably spend between €200 and €250 per week on groceries alone, before it pays any other bills such as gas, electricity, school costs and so forth. That family does not have a bob to spare; it is broke. That family will not be able to afford this tax. If a family cannot pay the tax but the pay amount is in excess of €480 a week, a penal interest rate of 8% per annum will be applied to the debt. We will have the debate tomorrow, but the issue of ability to pay this tax must be readdressed.

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