Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State is well aware that there is a raft of alternative proposals and measures which could bring in similar amounts of money. If we are to believe the media, his party has argued for the introduction of some of these measures in order to bring in additional revenue.

I was being genuine when I made my opening comments. What is being done is simply wrong. I refer, in particular, to the €1 increase in the price of a bottle of wine. That is a massive increase which will affect those who have been hit really hard up to now. The increase is also disproportionate. For someone with a large income who can afford to spend €20 or €30 on a bottle of wine, an increase of €1 does not constitute a major burden. However, for a person who likes to drink wine on a special occasion and who can afford to spend €7 to €10 on a bottle - as, in the light of the pressures they are under, is the case for the majority of people in the country - this is a 12% increase. That is just wrong and I cannot support the measure. This matter has been well ventilated, but I still find the Minister of State's defence of the €1 increase in the price of a bottle of wine quite amusing.

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