Results 5,861-5,880 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Finance Bill 2009: Report and Final Stages (27 May 2009)

Joan Burton: I move amendment No. 4: In page 5, between lines 11 and 12, to insert the following:

Finance Bill 2009: Report and Final Stages (27 May 2009)

Joan Burton: They are in the newspapers and I think the Minister knows them very well. Some thought it was good that the Minister was getting at the public service and were delighted the Minister was imposing the levy. In the halls of Versailles, people have been exclaiming how much punishment Irish people took. We are being feted throughout Europe for not demonstrating but taking it on the chin. I...

Finance Bill 2009: Report and Final Stages (27 May 2009)

Joan Burton: It is about the amendment. Ordinary people need to know what the Minister will do to introduce fairness and address the continuing anomaly of tax exiles. They were delighted to see the levy on the public service, with people on modest incomes in the Civil Service paying a large additional levy. What has happened to tax exiles? Nothing. The chairperson of the Revenue Commissioners...

Finance Bill 2009: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (27 May 2009)

Joan Burton: Although the Minister uses quite elegant language, the message remains the same, that people, many of whom are close to the ruling Fianna Fáil Party, have enjoyed extraordinary latitude in their tax affairs. In recent years in particular it has been open to many individuals disposing of interests in companies to go offshore for a period of time to avail of very substantial, legitimate - the...

Finance Bill 2009: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (27 May 2009)

Joan Burton: After the Minister's long lecture, I want to point out that the world has been brought to the brink of financial ruin and this country has hundreds of thousands unemployed. The offshore tax havens and those who are legitimately and legally considered to be offshore for tax purposes have brought the current economic collapse and depression to this point, where the lives of so many individuals...

Finance Bill 2009: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (27 May 2009)

Joan Burton: I support Deputy Bruton's amendment. Fianna Fáil is addicted to tax incentives for property development and construction because it feels their introduction was the goose that laid the golden egg, creating the boom years of the Celtic tiger. It should be obvious to the Minister that they destroyed the Celtic tiger. The Minister's predecessor was advised of that on many occasions and...

Finance Bill 2009: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (27 May 2009)

Joan Burton: -----and to concentrate-----

Finance Bill 2009: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (27 May 2009)

Joan Burton: ----- because of the tax breaks, on the development of private hospitals that will have the most up to date cancer, analysis and radiography equipment, all of which will be funded by taxpayers through tax breaks. Public patients will queue up to access those facilities and the public hospital system will pay the private hospital operators-----

Finance Bill 2009: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (27 May 2009)

Joan Burton: Moreover, the capital for all of this-----

Finance Bill 2009: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (27 May 2009)

Joan Burton: The bulk of the capital for this development now will be funded by tax breaks. These amendments only seek that such tax breaks be costed to ascertain their true value and cost. In Ireland, tax expenditures through tax breaks are treated as though they were meaningless. Earlier, I noted that not alone is the marginal tax rate 41% but, in effect, it can be considerably higher for different...

Finance Bill 2009: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (27 May 2009)

Joan Burton: It is a 15-year relief.

Finance Bill 2009: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (27 May 2009)

Joan Burton: They are. Absolutely.

Finance Bill 2009: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (27 May 2009)

Joan Burton: I thought both amendments were being taken together.

Finance Bill 2009: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (27 May 2009)

Joan Burton: I am disappointed with the Minister's response. It is obvious that he is not prepared to allow the vast amounts of money the Department of Finance is committing to these projects, on behalf of taxpayers, to be examined. The valuation of these projects should be examined at this time for two reasons. The financial structure of the projects will remain changed for the foreseeable future....

Finance Bill 2009: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (27 May 2009)

Joan Burton: We know what "reconfiguring" means.

Finance Bill 2009: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (27 May 2009)

Joan Burton: The Minister should not make it more complicated.

Finance Bill 2009: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (27 May 2009)

Joan Burton: On a point of clarification, Deputy Bruton is suggesting that when a bank credits interest that might be shown gross, as well as the net amount of the tax deducted and the net amount of interest because at the moment most people get interest credited net.

Finance Bill 2009: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (27 May 2009)

Joan Burton: One can gross it up oneself.

Finance Bill 2009: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (27 May 2009)

Joan Burton: It is only of interest to rich people to get a certificate.

Finance Bill 2009: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (27 May 2009)

Joan Burton: The Minister's reply does not quite reflect the fact that the assessment of these types of schemes is changing. It has changed very dramatically since the recent speech by President Obama in the United States. I said on Committee Stage that it is potentially very valuable to Ireland if the intellectual property elements of investments, particularly by multinationals with other economic...