Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change) | Oireachtas source

I said in my introduction that the fact the scheme was introduced to protect workers' jobs and keep companies floats was positive. There was nothing wrong with the scheme. I do not think the Government introduced it in the knowledge that workers were going to have a pay cut effectively. The Taoiseach mentioned the Revenue Commissioners. Revenue was prepared to wipe off the tax revenue from a worker's gross pay. That was gone and companies were allowed to pay their workers the net income. That is now being taxed. It is outrageous.

It was reported in "Shopfloor", the Mandate trade union newspaper, that its members called on McCauley's to do the right thing over the Covid tax bills. I am asking the Taoiseach to instruct Revenue to change tact and tell these companies to pay their workers' tax liability through the facility on the website of the Revenue Commissioners. That is simply it. They have been given an option now. We know that other companies have paid those tax liabilities, including McCabe's pharmacy, KN Network Services and other companies. This has to be a case where a company is responsible for those liabilities. They have gained a huge amount and managed to keep their companies afloat. Some of them, in fact, may even be making profits. It is the responsibility of the Taoiseach to ensure that happens because otherwise these workers will, unfortunately, take strike action.

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