Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I encourage the Minister's work. In the context of budget negotiations - I have been there - Ministers have a responsibility to consider matters that are directly related to their Department and secure the best possible package. The Minister has already done that and I have no doubt he will do it again. However, I encourage him to also look at the bigger picture with regard to income tax and the universal social charge, USC. Taxation has a major effect on our farming families as well. The people who work hard on our farms all over the country, in every pocket and every size of farm, deserve a break. They are paying too much on income tax and USC. I encourage the Minister to engage with the Department of Finance to address what is needed for the agriculture sector but also to look at wider taxation issues. That will directly impact on the farmers the Minister represents. It will make a massive difference to our farmers in this very difficult time when they are paying much more to produce what they have been doing all along. I encourage the Minister to do that in the broader context of this budget.

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