Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 65:

In page 58, to delete line 10 and substitute the following:"(i) in paragraph (4), by substituting “2 per cent of stamp duty for the first €300,000 on non-residential holdings” for "2 per cent", and".

This move in the budget caught many by surprise. On the evening of the budget I tweeted that this tax was an attack on rural Ireland and the agricultural community from a party that always stated that it stood for farmers.

The rate was 2%. As all Members know, it is great that some parts of the country are doing well but, unfortunately, more areas are struggling a little. However, there has been some recovery. Every Deputy, be they a member of a political party or an Independent, is trying to encourage people to reopen buildings that, unfortunately, closed in our towns during the recession and support young farmers who need an extra bit of land to survive because it is now harder to live on what our fathers and forefathers could live on. In 1980, the sale of three good cattle was enough to buy a Ford Escort.

See this speech in context