Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is not Deputy Michael Healy-Rae's role to decide what rules I obey. That is the role of the Chair. The Deputy does not set the rules of this House. They are laid down in Standing Orders and overseen by the occupant of the Chair. Given that a moment ago, the Deputy praised the argument that we should stand by the facts, I simply outlined two facts. The Deputy participated in the Government negotiations and he is not a member of the Government. Before I go on to further address the issue he raised regarding VAT, I will put a point to him. I understand that he is a successful businessperson who understands the demands of the balance sheet of a company. If he runs a promotion that is very successful and he sells more of that good at a lower promoted price than he thought he would, would he decide to keep that promotion running forever? That is a principle that every hotel operator or bed and breakfast in the country understands, as I am sure the Deputy does as a small business owner. That same insight applies to how we must manage our national finances. We ended up with a tax base that was too small to fund the needs of our State because that insight was not adhered to. Deputies Michael McGrath and Pearse Doherty and other speakers raised potential risks with regard to corporation tax and Brexit. We cannot recognise the risks and, at the same time, lack the courage to do something about them.

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