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

The Apple tax ruling shows who this country is run for. This is a country run by the rich for the rich. We are a wealthy country but working-class people and communities and rural communities see very little of this. The top 1% in Ireland has €232 billion in wealth whereas the bottom 50% owns €9 billion. There is an inequality crisis in Ireland. There is a deep need for change so ordinary people get their fair share. While Apple spent decades paying less than 1% tax on billions worth of profits, with a doff of the Government's cap, the Government spent €10 million to defend its right to do so. While Irish workers pay 15% more tax than their EU counterparts and have to live with a broken housing system and failing public services, the Government spends decades fighting and denouncing popular citizens’ protests on water charges, anti-austerity campaigns and bin charge protests, taking money out of the pockets of lone parents and ensuring that therapies for special needs children are not available. This is all we need to know about who our political establishment represents.

There is a debate around the country about what to do with the Apple money. The reality is that decades of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael rule have left us with little choice. We need to get this money into the building of more public housing, affordable housing, cost rental housing, healthcare, mental healthcare, better infrastructure and more funding for communities. This is an opportunity to help communities struggling from years of austerity and State neglect.

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