Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The issue is a vast number of people simply cannot afford this tax, not that they are wishing not to be tax compliant. The Tánaiste should not try to lay this on the Revenue Commissioners. The legislation rushed through this House by the Labour Party and Fine Gael will allow this family tax to be taken from social welfare payments, wages and people's bank and credit union accounts. It is clear from the Government benches that some of its members are in the Land of Nod or in a parallel universe. How on earth can the Tánaiste justify a situation where the Government through the Revenue Commissioners will put its hand into the pockets of people who are struggling and will deduct this tax from a social welfare payment such as jobseeker's allowance or an old age pension or from people's wages, which have been cut or, worse still, will reach its hand into people's bank and credit union accounts? How does he defend that? He should not give us the line on tax compliance and smart alec rhetoric. People do not have the money. Does he grasp that? How does he defend a system whereby people who are struggling will have the hand of Government put into their pockets? If ever there was a case of heavy handed tactics by a government and the State against citizens and Big Brother government, this certainly is it. The Tánaiste should forget about the Revenue Commissioners; he is in charge. He should defend those measures for us.

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