Results 3,281-3,300 of 19,445 for speaker:Brian Cowen

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages. (29 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: As I recall, the biggest opponents of individualisation came from the back benches in Senator McDowell's party, or indeed from the Front Bench.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages. (29 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: This was despite the Labour Party claiming it is very much in favour of women participating in the workforce, which is what individualisation is trying to achieve. Quite apart from the logical analysis one can ascribe to individualisation as a feature of the tax system, other societal values must be recognised. In my two budgets so far, in view of other priorities I have identified,...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages. (29 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: A Seanad parliamentary party.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages. (29 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: In regard to the point raised by Senator Phelan, when responding to an identical proposal made in the other House the argument that the commitment to those families should be equated with increases in the home carer's credit is flawed. Significant improvements in take-home pay have resulted from the budgetary measures being provided for in the Finance Bill. Finite resources mean choices must...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages. (29 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: I am not committed in principle to completing the individualisation process. I will consider year on year whether and how I progress it, given the priorities at the time. One thing I have learned from the experience is that it was right to move towards this with caution and to recognise there are societal attitudes and situations that have to be taken on board while at the same time ensuring...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages. (29 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: The Senator is proposing that where moneys are paid to State agencies that would subsequently qualify for tax relief, the Minister would make regulations that would require such State bodies to make returns of all such payments. The purpose of the return appears to be to facilitate the Revenue Commissioners in granting the appropriate relief to the taxpayer. Regarding an amendment on the same...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages. (29 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: The points they raise on this issue is that for TRS to work it requires a small number of payees related to the number of payers. In other words, if a large number of people are paying a small number of agencies, the TRS system works but it does not work as well if there are different ranges and rates of service charges among local authorities. There is not a uniform entitlement. The...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages. (29 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: This recommendation is concerned with contributions to occupational pension schemes by those on lower incomes. It seeks a tax credit to be contributed by the Exchequer to the individual's pension scheme equivalent to relief at the higher rate of tax of 42%. I take it this tax credit is to be instead of relief that the individual may be getting at the standard rate, assuming they are in the...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages. (29 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: The amendment has been ruled out of order. On Second Stage yesterday Senator Browne, untypically of him, quite unfairly asserted that my parliamentary colleagues, Deputy McGuinness and Deputy Nolan, given their membership of the Joint Committee on Finance and the Public Service, had it in their power to put down an amendment to the Finance Bill which would have been accepted by me. That is...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages. (29 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: On 12 December 2002, following the announcement of the closure of the Comerama factory with the loss of over 160 jobs, the Tánaiste, together with officials of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, met with a SIPTU delegation representing the Comerama workers. From the official minutes of that meeting it appears that the main concern of the workers, many if not most of whom had...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages. (29 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: Comerama workers were never employed by the State and in any event, received substantial ex gratia severance payments in settlements with the company. The meeting between the Tánaiste and some former Comerama workers took place almost six months before the coming into force of the Redundancy Payments Act 2003. In that period, approximately 12,000 other workers were made redundant throughout...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages. (29 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: Is the Senator surprised that I spoke at length on the issue?

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages. (29 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: I very much take Senator Mansergh's point in this regard. I agree with maximum flexibility and seeking to implement our programme to the greatest possible extent. If any party could tell me that it was able to implement every aspect of its programme within the period that it had set itself, I would buy its members a pint. That is not a big prize, but if they took a drink, I would do so. That...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages. (29 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: I have stated that they are set out in order of priority. If one considers the spirit of what we are trying to achieve and my predecessor's introduction of the tax credits system, which gives the same value to every taxpayer regardless of remuneration, one sees that it is much fairer, since those at the lower end of the scale gain proportionately more from the tax credits system than from the...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages. (29 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: I wish to make a further point. It was not a case of either-or. We more than doubled the tax band to improve the lot of people within the tax net as well as making the decision to exempt those on the minimum wage outside the tax net. We did not just decide to improve the lot of one section of the community to the exclusion of others. We did, however, crystallise the particular commitment I...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages. (29 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: I hope we can proceed with its implementation. We cannot have it every way. People may say we are not spending enough money in certain areas but fiscal policy involves a taxation policy and an expenditure policy and we are committed to a balanced overall budgetary position. Such a position gives us sufficient room for manoeuvre, as we had in 2001 and 2002. People had been saying that we...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages. (29 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: It is good and increasing. I gave them on Committee Stage in the Dáil but cannot give them today as I do not have the exact figures. If I recall, it was a couple of hundred thousand people. The details can be forwarded to the Senator. Again this year, I have increased the relief.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages. (29 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: My understanding is that it is back-registered. Under the legislation, an individual making such a claim will be required to provide confirmation of his or her registration with the tenancies board.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages. (29 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: It will be the obligation of the taxpayer to register with the Private Residential Tenancies Board, which will confirm the registration in writing. That is then be produced to the Revenue Commissioners.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages. (29 Mar 2006)

Brian Cowen: The effect of Senator John Paul Phelan's proposal would be to broaden the focus of the one-parent family tax credit to apply not only to lone parents but also to cohabiting couples with dependent children where there is only one earner. The Senator wants the tax code to recognise the circumstances of couples in cohabiting arrangements. The purpose, however, of the one-parent family tax credit...