Results 3,141-3,160 of 19,445 for speaker:Brian Cowen

Written Answers — Vehicle Registration: Vehicle Registration (2 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Belgium negotiated a treaty some years back to facilitate the exchange of driver and vehicle registration information between the participants through an electronic system, known as EUCARIS. The treaty has quite a narrow scope and its aim is to identify and prevent international trade in stolen...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (2 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: The Revenue Commissioners advise me that under their published guidelines for the operation of PAYE and PRSI for certain benefits there is no charge to tax in respect of a van which is in a "van pool". A van can be treated by an employer as being in a van pool if: the van is made available to, and is actually used by, more than one employee and is not ordinarily used by one employee to the...

Order of Business. (7 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: I object to the Deputy's unfounded assertions.

Order of Business. (7 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: I do not agree with the Deputy.

Finance Bill 2006: Financial Resolution. (7 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: I move: 1. THAT section 812 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 (No. 39 of 1997), which deems the owners of securities to have received income where the owners sells or transfers a right to receive interest (including dividends) without selling or transferring the actual securities, be amended in the manner and to the extent specified in the Act giving effect to this resolution. 2. THAT the...

Diseases of Animals Act 1966: Motion. (7 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: I move: That Dáil Éireann resolves that section 17A (inserted by section 2(1) of the Diseases of Animals (Amendment) Act 2001 (No. 3 of 2001)) of the Diseases of Animals Act 1996 (No. 6 of 1966) shall continue in force for the period ending on 8 March 2007.

Finance Act 2004: Motion. (7 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: I move: That Dáil Éireann approves the following order in draft: Finance Act 2004 (Section 91)(Deferred Surrender to the Central Fund) Order 2006, copies of which have been laid in draft form before Dáil Éireann on 22 February 2006.

Finance Bill 2006: Report Stage. (7 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: Crowds would flock to meet people from Revenue. Is that what the Deputy is suggesting?

Finance Bill 2006: Report Stage. (7 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: We discussed this on Committee Stage, when I said the Ombudsman's office is not appropriate in this regard. I do not propose to accept the amendment. The Revenue Commissioners do not deliberately withhold repayments of tax due to taxpayers, or unduly delay such repayments. They make every effort possible, through mail shots, information leaflets, customer inquiry units and their website to...

Finance Bill 2006: Report Stage. (7 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: There are trade fairs and many other places where Revenue is anxious to see people and discuss a range of matters. Deputy Richard Bruton asked if the formatting of the information could be improved and made more simple and client friendly. We should always consider improvements and I have no objection to that. However, despite all these customer focus initiatives by Revenue, the taxpayer has...

Finance Bill 2006: Report Stage. (7 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: The Deputy will be aware that I made provision of €20 million in the budget for the purchase of carbon credits in 2006. I assure the Deputy that this is already represented as a subhead in the Book of Estimates in Vote 25, for the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. This amendment asks me to establish a new subhead, but it has already been put in place. I indicated...

Finance Bill 2006: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (7 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: The amendment relates to the home carer's tax credit of €770 which, under section 466A of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997, is granted to married couples where one spouse works at home to care for children, the aged or incapacitated persons. The amendment proposes that the amount of the home carer's credit should be the same as the maximum of the employee tax credit, commonly known as the...

Finance Bill 2006: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (7 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: I have nothing further to add. As I said with regard to the budget, we introduced a good package of tax reliefs for many PAYE workers, including those in single income families, and the argument that the commitment to these families should be equated with increases in home carer's credit is a flawed one. Significant improvements in take home pay have resulted from the budgetary provisions...

Finance Bill 2006: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (7 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: If I understand the Deputy's amendment correctly he proposes that I make regulations to provide that where payments made to the State or other bodies qualify for income tax relief that relief be given by way of deduction from the payment, rather than as part of the taxpayer's tax credits. In that case the Deputy is proposing an extension of the principle of tax relief at source, which...

Finance Bill 2006: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (7 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: There seems to be some amnesia on the opposite side about the fact that this Bill provides for the first time in the tax code for limits and fixed amounts beyond which the State will not provide relief for pension provision. This has not been done before by any Government. I did not hear much comment about that in the contributions. I remind Members that I commissioned the internal report on...

Finance Bill 2006: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (7 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: I was quoting from the report.

Finance Bill 2006: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (7 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: I am quoting the chief executive.

Finance Bill 2006: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (7 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: That is the Deputy's view.

Finance Bill 2006: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (7 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: On the question of taking long-term decisions, let the record show the views of the Opposition parties when we decided on the National Pensions Reserve Fund, a policy decision by my predecessor. Let the record show what Opposition spokespersons said about raiding that fund when a downturn happened in 2001 and 2002. Let the record show what they all said on how that pension fund should be...

Finance Bill 2006: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (7 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: It is not too early to expose Deputy Boyle's inconsistency.