Results 9,501-9,520 of 26,902 for speaker:Richard Boyd Barrett
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Macroeconomic Forecast for 2016: Department of Finance (6 Oct 2015)
Richard Boyd Barrett: China is moving in a scary direction.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Macroeconomic Forecast for 2016: Department of Finance (6 Oct 2015)
Richard Boyd Barrett: Would it be fair to say that most of things that are leading to an apparently positive picture on paper of the economy are external, be that the favourable exchanges rates, lower energy prices, lower interest rates, quantitative easing, or the US measures taken over recent years? Mr. McCarthy might when responding to that question also comment on the effects in this regard of the increase in...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Macroeconomic Forecast for 2016: Department of Finance (6 Oct 2015)
Richard Boyd Barrett: On that point, are the good news stories we hear from Government and the Department of Finance about all how all is going well, which encourages confidence and spending, based precisely on what Mr. McCarthy just said, and nothing else?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Macroeconomic Forecast for 2016: Department of Finance (6 Oct 2015)
Richard Boyd Barrett: On that point, are there any indications of whether personal indebtedness is on the increase again?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Macroeconomic Forecast for 2016: Department of Finance (6 Oct 2015)
Richard Boyd Barrett: Is Mr. McCarthy including in that inflation in property prices?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Macroeconomic Forecast for 2016: Department of Finance (6 Oct 2015)
Richard Boyd Barrett: No, I do not. Perhaps Mr. McCarthy will explain.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Macroeconomic Forecast for 2016: Department of Finance (6 Oct 2015)
Richard Boyd Barrett: That, I know.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Macroeconomic Forecast for 2016: Department of Finance (6 Oct 2015)
Richard Boyd Barrett: Okay.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Macroeconomic Forecast for 2016: Department of Finance (6 Oct 2015)
Richard Boyd Barrett: Arguably, all of that is largely inspired by external factors. However, that is for another debate. On capital expenditure and the recently announced capital plan, what is the percentage of capital spending pre-crash versus proposed capital spending, on an annual basis, under the current plan?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Macroeconomic Forecast for 2016: Department of Finance (6 Oct 2015)
Richard Boyd Barrett: I am talking about the figures pre-crash.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Macroeconomic Forecast for 2016: Department of Finance (6 Oct 2015)
Richard Boyd Barrett: So the amount is well below previous public capital investment. Is that right?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Macroeconomic Forecast for 2016: Department of Finance (6 Oct 2015)
Richard Boyd Barrett: The question was about the pre-crash period. It is well down, I think. Mr. McCarthy does not have the figures off-hand. Is that the case?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Macroeconomic Forecast for 2016: Department of Finance (6 Oct 2015)
Richard Boyd Barrett: I completely disagree with Mr. McCarthy on that point. This is one of the questions I wanted to put to him. What does he have to say about the housing crisis at the moment, as a macroeconomic problem? It seems to me that we need major investment, and not only from the point of view of the people who are homeless on the streets. I imagine it will start to become a problem in terms of...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Macroeconomic Forecast for 2016: Department of Finance (6 Oct 2015)
Richard Boyd Barrett: Mr. McCarthy would be concerned about it. Is that correct?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Macroeconomic Forecast for 2016: Department of Finance (6 Oct 2015)
Richard Boyd Barrett: What does Mr. McCarthy think can be done about it?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Macroeconomic Forecast for 2016: Department of Finance (6 Oct 2015)
Richard Boyd Barrett: Nevertheless, Mr. McCarthy is concerned about it. Is that correct?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Macroeconomic Forecast for 2016: Department of Finance (6 Oct 2015)
Richard Boyd Barrett: I am keen for Mr. McCarthy to comment on one last aspect.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Macroeconomic Forecast for 2016: Department of Finance (6 Oct 2015)
Richard Boyd Barrett: I have many questions, but I might come back in later. We were doing some work today on the question and tonight in the Dáil we will be discussing corporate taxation. I noticed something last week when I was looking at the Department of Finance study of the effective rates of tax in this country. The deductions on total profits in 2006 came to €5 billion, off approximately...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Macroeconomic Forecast for 2016: Department of Finance (6 Oct 2015)
Richard Boyd Barrett: I would not.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Macroeconomic Forecast for 2016: Department of Finance (6 Oct 2015)
Richard Boyd Barrett: To summarise the position - this follows on from some of what Mr. McCarthy and Senator Sean D. Barrett said - we have seen a big jump in corporate profits. We have some of the highest growth levels anywhere in Europe, but because of fiscal treaty requirements, particularly as they relate to the debt burden, there is very little latitude to do anything. In fact, we are, effectively, debarred...