Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The first line in the motion acknowledges the fact that the economic recovery is ongoing. While the recovery is fragile, it has been built in no small way on the policies implemented by the Government in the past three and a half years. We know the statistics on job creation. The only route out of the economic abyss the country was led into is through getting people back to work. The more people in work, the more one can build one’s tax base and have a social dividend to distribute. Unfortunately, when one’s credit line runs out and very few people will lend one money, then one has to make decisions in order to balance the books. Some people do not believe in that approach. Deputy Maureen O’Sullivan is not one of them. Some believe that if one digs a hole deep enough in the back yard, sooner or later one will strike oil. However, that never happens. I do not know of any such hole where one finds a crock of gold in this country other than those associated with Darby O’Gill.

The Government’s counter-motion goes a long way towards what Deputy Maureen O’Sullivan seeks to achieve in terms of the commitment to interdepartmental discussion on aspects of budgeting in future. We already have pre-budget submissions from many of the people referenced in the motion. The more of that type of open discussion we can have, the better. I would welcome more public discourse by Ministers, including the Minister of State, Deputy Harris. It is not necessary to put such an approach into legislation or to set targets or percentages.

I note the Finance Bill was passed by the Dáil in recent hours. Deputy Maureen O’Sullivan’s motion is relevant to the Finance Bill, which was opposed by Sinn Féin, who is represented in the House currently by Deputy Dessie Ellis. Sinn Féin’s proposal was to maintain the standard rate of income tax at 41% but to introduce three increments of 7% per annum, amounting to 21% which would increase the total to 62%. One must then add on 13% for the universal social charge, USC, and PRSI, coming to a total of approximately 15% and one soon reaches 75% for the so-called wealthy in society. According to Sinn Féin, a garda married to a teacher would fall into that category. Sinn Féin would seek to take 75 cent in the euro from them. If one was unfortunate enough to have 41 acres of marginal or bad land on which one had a few heifers or ewes, Sinn Féin would then impose a wealth tax on those people. If one had an antique chair that one inherited from one’s grandmother, Sinn Féin would also want to tax it. The counter-proposal from the Deputies opposite – I do not include Deputy Maureen O’Sullivan among them – is to tax people into oblivion in the hope that the country will recover. That will never happen. While I support the Government’s amendment, I applaud Deputy Maureen O’Sullivan’s sincerity in tabling the motion before the House.

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