Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

The workers who work in these companies pay tax in the region of 30% to 35%, but, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the people who own these companies pay tax at 2% on their enormous profits. Even according to Revenue's figures, they pay an effective rate of approximately 6%. How is it fair that these multinationals pay tax at 2% or 6% when the people who clean the floors in their buildings pay tax at 20% or 30%? Why is it that the Minister is consulting these multinationals and assuring them that they will not have to pay anything more when even a small extra tax contribution from them would do away with the need to introduce water charges and to have many of the crushing austerity taxes and charges he is imposing on ordinary workers? Why is it that he will not even have a serious debate on the fairness of this and look at the effective corporation tax rate and increase it for the companies in question?

See this speech in context