Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I too support Deputy Pearse Doherty's amendment. The majority of people do not realise how this country is run. If they knew a little bit more about what does happen and how things are done there would be much more anger.

The notion that banks that were rescued because there was a banking crisis and austerity was introduced to help deal with its outcome, are back making money and can put off losses against that is ridiculous. I agree as well that companies have to be able to carry losses and get fairness but this is a completely different situation. If these banks had not been bailed out by the people, I would say fine, let them keep on carrying the losses forward. It is not that the banks solved their own problems. They did not. The State decided to bail them out and that meant the people bailed them out. It is irrational to equate them with normal companies. Aside from the figures Deputy Doherty mentioned about the profits they are about to make, when these guys got a bit of oxygen in their lungs and got back on their feet they started to throw some people out of their homes. History will be pretty unkind to this period in terms of many decisions that were made and how those people have behaved. The Minister should try to relate this to a normal situation in life where somebody is on the flat of their back, cannot eat or drink, is out for the count until someone comes along and rescues them, makes them strong again, feeds and nurtures them back to health and then they turn on the same people who nursed them back to health and look to throw some of them out of their homes. How can we ever say that was the right thing to do? I do not understand how we can. The notion that they would not pay their fair share of tax now is ridiculous.

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