Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I have paid over €15 million. I am not going to take lectures from the Minister who will get far more out of this system than I ever will.

Research by Grant Thornton shows that successive budgets have been regressive and have had a disproportionate impact on lower and middle income households. In a study released last week, Grant Thornton found that a family with one parent earning €40,000 experienced increases in taxes of 125% while a family with both parents earning €40,000 saw a 54% rise in taxes and a family with an income of €190,000 witnessed a 29% increase in its tax bill. Evidently, the burden of austerity is being shouldered by those who have less. That is hardly rocket science. In respect of Deputy Fleming's point, will ASTI members be made to suffer for their decision not to rubber-stamp the breaking of the Croke Park agreement?

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