Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I wish to clarify one point for the Minister in terms of my understanding of the issue. Farmers were awarded the shares per thousand gallons of milk quota but it was not payment for the milk. The shares were awarded as part of a goodwill gesture. However, if a farmer falls out with the co-op, he or she will be made to take €1.25 per share and the shares will be taken from him or her. If the farmer had paid tax on the shares when he or she received them, will Revenue then give the farmer the tax that was taken off him or her previously when he or she first got the shares? I expect farmers would have an awful job trying to get it back.

If we have a role to play as elected representatives and the Minister has a role to play, then surely fair play must be meted out. If Revenue wins the test case we must ensure that the farmers or those who own the shares will not have to pay retrospectively because, in the words of the Revenue official, this was a new departure for it. We must introduce a law to ensure there will not be retrospective charges.

See this speech in context