Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

No, they have also increased local property tax; Deputy Nash can ask the local councillors - even though the council has taken in more money and is spending more than ever, but yet it will not reduce commercial rates or local property tax.

That is something Deputy Nash can reflect on. I am more than happy to engage with the local Labour Party candidate when she calls to my door looking for my preference vote in due course. Before other speakers come in and Deputy Higgins concludes, it must be stated that the stats are clear. We have 2.71 million people at work in this economy. That is more people at work in this State than lived in this State in the 1950s. When Fine Gael came into government with the Labour Party and produced the action plan for jobs under Deputy Richard Bruton, the aim was initially to create 80,000 jobs; 100,000 jobs over the entire period. Last year alone, 50,500 jobs were created in this State. This year, so far, 7,900 jobs have been created. More people are at work. The rights of workers are improving despite the criticism of the Opposition. A lot of good has been done and it is right that it has been done but it has been done in a process where we need to make sure we do it in tandem, hand in hand, with the business community. These are the creators of wealth and of opportunity, the people who will take the risk that the vast majority of us in this room simply are not prepared to do and I include myself in that. We have a situation where we have record receipts of both corporation and personal tax and the highest levels of spending ever in the history of the State. Just this week, we passed legislation in the Seanad to create two funds which will allow us to continue to future proof and to prepare ourselves for when corporation tax receipts will naturally decline, or indeed, when we face the next rainy day. The last time we faced a rainy day when we entered the start of Covid-19 pandemic, the very people who lambasted the Government for creating a rainy day fund were pretty glad to see that it was there. They were glad we had a few bob in the account and that we were able to go through that period still increasing the amount of exports going to sale, keeping people in work. This is a good Government that is presiding over a good economy that is ensuring workers get rights. There are areas within our society that need extra help. We all work to that every day. None of us has a monopoly on that. However, crucially, there are aspects that need increased supports, particularly in our business community, to allow us in the Government to increasingly support society.

In conclusion, I commend the Minister, Deputy Burke, and the Ministers of State, Deputies Higgins and Calleary, on putting this package together. I look forward to seeing it rolled out. Crucially, I look forward even more to it being delivered in the budget in October.

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