Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

-----this is why we are elected. It is in this House that we decide whether we are cutting or increasing taxes. The vote before Members is very simple. It is to keep, for 2018, 100% mortgage interest relief and for anybody who claims he or she would love to bring that about, it is very simple. He or she just has to press the right button. Anybody who wants to cut the relief to 75% can side with the Government and do that. Given that there is still a mortgage arrears crisis, this could have a tipping-point effect on many families. In that context, we make no apologies for arguing for the retention of mortgage interest relief. I do not think it should be retained indefinitely but until we get to grips with the fact that we have tens of thousands of households in mortgage arrears, we should not cut the supports from them.

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