Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister does not like the truth. I will tell him this - the butchers and teachers I know are not thankful that the Minister is cutting the tax rates of those millionaires and thinking that it is for their benefit. They know exactly what is at stake here. Dr. Micheál Collins appeared before the Committee on Budgetary Oversight and said that the special assignee relief programme beneficiaries would have an average income of at least €313,000. That would put them in the top 0.5% of earnings distribution. He said:

While there are economic benefits to schemes such as this, one could make similar arguments for many other jobs and roles, do earners at this level of income need a tax reduction? On the grounds of fairness, the scheme is hard to justify. Simply, there are better uses for these resources.

I agree 100%.

10 o’clock

It is unfair and a bad use of resources. Many people in other jobs and roles in society that the Minister does not view, in his words, as special could do with similar supports.

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