Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The positives will be undermined unless we really look at the negatives. We have a considerable reputation when it comes to humanitarian aid. Irish Aid is 100% untied. We also have a major reputation because of our work on the sustainable development goals. The Government launched a national plan on business and human rights. Part of that report is about policy coherence. It outlines that human rights have to be protected, as well as promoting economic trade, growth and investment. They should complement each other. We are being undermined by very reputable reports which say that our tax code is harmful to developing countries. Instead of the double Irish, we now have what is known as the single malt, and one way to deal with that is to ensure that all Irish registered companies are tax resident here. It would also mean supporting a UN intergovernmental body on tax. It also means supporting transparency around treaty negotiations and an analysis of the tax breaks in Irish law that multinationals can and do exploit. Surely if we want an economic and tax policy which benefits everybody, the Government will be committed to doing that, and will also ensure that we are not a tax haven. If the EU was to apply its criteria to EU members, there would be EU countries on that blacklist, and Ireland might very well feature.

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