Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

That is pathetic; they do not pay tax because the Minister could not with any decency demand tax from them to allow them to have some kind of a decent life. Those on low and middle incomes do pay tax. I agree with having a progressive income tax system, but, while those on low and middle incomes cannot take any more, the Minister refuses to tax wealth. Based on 2012 figures for the big corporates, for example, and the fact that the effective tax rate has conservatively been estimated at 8%, an extra 1% would bring in €525 million, which would hardly be felt by the big corporates. Equally, a progressive tax on the highest income earners earning over €100,000 or €120,000 and a tax on wealth would yield substantial resources that, when invested, could remake this broken economy and create tax buoyancy generally. Broadening the tax base, away from income tax, through the two taxes the Minister has imposed has left ordinary working people worse off, not better off.

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