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

This is just further proof and an illustration of the huge anomalies created by weak Irish capitalism over the past 30 or 40 years, which has completely made itself over-dependent on multinational investment instead of developing indigenous industries and more organic investment locally. SARP is a typical result of this. Who lobbied the Minister for this? Who are the stakeholders who wanted it? I agree that only a small number of individuals benefit, but the scheme is highly symbolic of the massive chasm between the richest in this country - people with huge take-home pay, chief executives, etc. - and those ordinary people who under austerity are getting hammered on a daily basis. Where is the break for those people, given that the Minister is attempting to wipe out with a water tax whatever minuscule concessions were given in the budget?

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