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

Over recent months, the Taoiseach and his Government have majored on the so-called "recovery" they say has taken place in the economy. There has been endless propaganda from the Government side. Assuming the Taoiseach gets a chance to talk to ordinary people as he goes about the country, do they tell him what they tell us, which is that they do not feel that recovery and that life is still a struggle for many? They have seen a recovery for the very wealthy, however, and they have seen a recovery in profits for major corporations. Does the Taoiseach agree that there is a huge disconnect between the propaganda the Government has put out and the reality of life for ordinary people? We have seen revelations that major multi-national companies, including Irish ones as in the Lux leaks scandal, evade billions of euro in tax for our public services, including health and education, etc. They are allowed to get away with this in the face of a situation where 25 million or 26 million people are unemployed in the European Union and of continuing austerity for our people.

Will the Taoiseach's committee consider how wealth can be transferred from the very wealthy and major corporations with growing profits to ordinary people? Does it strike the Taoiseach that according to the 2012 figures, a one third of 1% increase in the corporate tax rate of that year and the amount of corporation tax brought in that year would more than bring in what will, the Taoiseach hopes, be brought in from water charges, which are a huge burden to so many, next year? Does the Taoiseach not see the complete disparity between the propaganda and the reality?

Is it not shameful that against a situation of what the Taoiseach says is recovery we had the shocking revelation he was asked about earlier of a doubling of families in emergency accommodation in Dublin city in horrific circumstances? For time reasons, I will say no more, but I want the Taoiseach to answer that.

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