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

When the Taoiseach met Governor Brown of California in June, the Governor felt at liberty to indulge in a bit of knockabout comedy at his expense and at the expense of the corporation tax policies of the Irish Government. He said that if California could have Ireland's corporation tax rate, it would become an independent country. He said he used to think the Apple corporation was a California company but now realised it is an Irish company. He made other comments such as those, which were greeted with great guffaws apparently by hundreds of chief executives who were present at the occasion.

Is it not the case that in terms of the taxation policy the Taoiseach's Government, and Fianna Fáil Governments before it, have engaged in with regard to giving multinational companies huge concessions to abuse the taxation system, to save billions in profits that should otherwise be going into the public sectors of not just Ireland but other countries, where they siphon funds from this country, which is clearly a tax haven for them, the Taoiseach has been found out abroad, having denied it again and again when we made those assertions over the past period of time? How long more does he believe the Irish Government can continue to deny the obvious in this regard? In particular, against a background of him attempting now to shake down ordinary people, including poor people, for €300 million in a water tax next year when every 1% extra in corporation tax could bring in €500 million, based on an 8% effective tax rate, and it is generous to acknowledge that they would pay that amount, does he not see the major contradiction in that regard?

4 o’clock

When elements of big business in California laugh aloud in derision when the Governor of California speaks, is it not time for the Taoiseach to at least admit at home the truth of the situation? Is it true, as alleged in Finfacts, that on that occasion in California some chief executives were reluctant to be photographed with the Taoiseach because they did not want to draw attention to the very favourable tax deals they have in this country which might put them under scrutiny at home?

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