Results 8,161-8,180 of 19,445 for speaker:Brian Cowen

Finance Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (5 Mar 2008)

Brian Cowen: I never found Mao convincing and I am surprised that Fine Gael does.

Finance Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (5 Mar 2008)

Brian Cowen: If one spends a long time in the wilderness one will take up anybody.

Finance Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (5 Mar 2008)

Brian Cowen: I am only joking.

Finance Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (5 Mar 2008)

Brian Cowen: I want to be sure we are getting into water not mercury.

Finance Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (5 Mar 2008)

Brian Cowen: That is what Deputy Bruton loves.

Finance Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (5 Mar 2008)

Brian Cowen: I can feel the Deputy's hand on my back already.

Finance Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (5 Mar 2008)

Brian Cowen: When I introduced this measure in the Finance Act 2006, the limit was set at €10,000. I increased it by 50% last year to €15,000, but there was not much of a take-up, for a number of reasons. Although the relief was always targeted at small-scale child care operations, I felt at the time that €15,000 was a more realistic figure, given the costs of child care. The tax returns for the...

Finance Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (5 Mar 2008)

Brian Cowen: The Deputy unnerved me with his analysis this morning about the tax bases.

Finance Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (5 Mar 2008)

Brian Cowen: No, the Deputy unnerved me.

Finance Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (5 Mar 2008)

Brian Cowen: It always amazes me how Deputy Burton regards herself as being ideally equipped to look into the mindset of ordinary people and the rest of us do not have a clue.

Finance Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (5 Mar 2008)

Brian Cowen: We are badly equipped. It is only extraordinary people who vote for Fianna Fáil. We must put up with that continuing mindset. On the amendments, the relief for service charges is available in respect of charges paid by a householder in the previous year subject to a maximum claim of €400. Where an individual makes a claim in any year, the level of relief claimed is allowed automatically...

Finance Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (5 Mar 2008)

Brian Cowen: It is difficult to put in place the structures to adequately reflect the range of business models and services charges levied by over 400 separated business, some of which are very small-scale.

Finance Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (5 Mar 2008)

Brian Cowen: The tax relief at source system for mortgages is operated by some 200 banks, building societies and local authorities familiar with such work. Revenue, however, is prepared to continue to see what can be done and will continue with discussions with those involved. An added complexity is identifying and isolating commercial customers from residential customers. Therefore, there are issues in...

Finance Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (5 Mar 2008)

Brian Cowen: The Deputy is assuming there is competition on every run.

Finance Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (5 Mar 2008)

Brian Cowen: That is an initiative we must take up with Revenue to see if there is any way around the problem where people pay a management charge to the management company for the provision of services, not just refuse services, but others also.

Finance Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (5 Mar 2008)

Brian Cowen: The problem is management is the vehicle which pays the service charge to the local authority or the service provider. This leaves the question at one remove from those paying the service charge. The question is: how is it possible to devise a system that might be of assistance to individual occupiers in isolating the portion that is the service charge and seeing whether there is a way in...

Finance Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (5 Mar 2008)

Brian Cowen: Revenue has a track record in this regard. It is interested in trying to accommodate taxpayers. For example, where people make a claim, the credit is provided forever more. People would probably get the benefit, even if they moved. The idea that Revenue is trying to deny them their entitlements is wrong. There is a responsibility on taxpayers to claim their entitlements. The provision...

Finance Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (5 Mar 2008)

Brian Cowen: I will talk to Revenue about how we might make progress on the issue but I do not want anyone to think it is only a matter of doing that and everything else will follow. That is not the case. I point out to Deputy Bruton that he cannot make the assumption that the market would come into play because there was competition on all routes. There is not. Even if it was agreed with the ten...

Finance Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (5 Mar 2008)

Brian Cowen: The assumption that there is competition on all routes is not correct. I did not say there was not merit in what was said, just that Deputy Bruton's suggestion was not the solution.

Finance Bill 2008: Report Stage (Resumed) (5 Mar 2008)

Brian Cowen: As the Deputy is aware, we debated this topic on Committee Stage. It was also discussed at some length during previous Finance Bill debates. As I indicated to the select committee, the position is that the existing law already provides an exemption from an employee benefit-in-kind charge where employers provide free or subsidised child care services for their employees. The exemption...