Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The issue of international tax is probably like many international issues in that it is complicated. If one wishes to reform it, one must work at it in a serious way and bring people along so one can get the desired reform outcomes.

I saw an article in this morning's The Irish Timesby Mr. David Beattie, who I think is a tax lawyer. He drew the distinction between the civil law systems in Ireland, the UK and Malta and the European codes of law. He indicated the differences and therefore the problem with a reference in the Commissioner's statement that Ireland had been granting undue benefits. As the article indicates, that is very recognisable in European codes of law but it is much more foreign to our common law code. That is something that must be worked on.

Ireland has a tax regime that is attractive to foreign investors and it is the envy of some of our larger neighbours. Let us not be guileless about that. As a small island on the periphery of Europe, this is perfectly legitimate in principle. We are not defending every single aspect of our tax system and we want it fair and just. We have a strong sovereign right to set our tax codes and laws. We were specifically promised that in the Lisbon treaty. The Labour Party will hold out for that. We are not in the business of just being fashionable and saying we should go for this or that without thinking about it, simply disregarding the 250,000 jobs for which foreign direct investment into Ireland is responsible. Not only do we want to maintain those jobs and see those people at work, being financially independent-----

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