Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

As is normally the case when discussing matters of this nature, the Deputy is profoundly wrong. The Government has reversed the reduction in the minimum wage, removed 350,000 low-paid workers from the net relating to the universal social charge and protected all core social welfare payments. One can take a snapshot of individual budgets rather than considering the overall picture. Ireland has the most progressive income tax system in the OECD. If one already has the most progressive system, it is extremely difficult to make it even more progressive. Whereas if one has the worst and least progressive system, any change at all will make it more progressive in the context of a snapshot analysis. People understand that fact.

The Deputy is also incorrect in stating that there will be no growth this year. We had significant growth last year but the figure for this year will be lower. Even the worst analysis indicates that there will be growth of 0.2% this year. The most recent ESRI projections for next year indicate that the economic strategy employed by the Government during the past two and a half years has ensured that we have balanced the budget and maintained jobs. In fact, we are now creating 3,000 net new jobs per month. This represents a profound sea-change in the country's fortunes since we inherited a disastrous situation a mere two and a half years ago.

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