Results 1,321-1,340 of 1,683 for speaker:Derek McDowell

Seanad: Diplomatic Relations and Immunities (Amendment) Bill 2005: Second Stage. (22 Mar 2006)

Derek McDowell: I appreciate the Minister of State's reply.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Second Stage. (28 Mar 2006)

Derek McDowell: I am taking the brunt of it.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Second Stage. (28 Mar 2006)

Derek McDowell: It is always my good fortune to have an opportunity to speak after the point where control of the House slips into the hands of the Progressive Democrats following inflammatory comments from Senator Ross, after which he promptly disappears. On more than one occasion this has tempted me down a number of culs-de-sac, most of which I will try to avoid today. I wish to begin with a nakedly...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Second Stage. (28 Mar 2006)

Derek McDowell: Let me avoid further culs-de-sac. I want to spend most of my time speaking about what I consider to be the guts of the Bill, which is the manner in which it deals with capital allowances and the special reliefs and incentives that have been in place, in some cases, for 30 or 40 years. The reports published by the Minister made for fascinating reading. I compliment the Minister for having...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Second Stage. (28 Mar 2006)

Derek McDowell: We must approach this matter from two angles. One involves what these incentives and reliefs sought to achieve. The other concerns the reason we stood back and examined them at this time, which is their effect on particularly high-earning taxpayers or non-taxpayers in some cases. I wish to start with the second angle. The scheme that the Minister and the Department have come up with in...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Second Stage. (28 Mar 2006)

Derek McDowell: I may change my mind.

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

Derek McDowell: It might be useful if the Minister gave us some indication as to whether he is a fan of this particular tax credit. It was clear that his predecessor was not a fan and introduced it only in the wake of the individualisation debate as a necessary balm to keep the Fianna Fáil backbenchers at the time happy and off the airwaves. As far as I know, the allowance has not been increased since it...

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

Derek McDowell: I changed my mind.

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

Derek McDowell: I do not wish to wrong-foot the Minister but I had many disagreements with the previous Minister for Finance, Mr. McCreevy, about a range of tax reduction and reform measures — as he would call them — which he introduced, including this one. I have not changed my mind on any of them except this one. However, I have changed my mind on individualisation and believe that Mr. McCreevy was...

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

Derek McDowell: I am speaking for myself here——

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

Derek McDowell: Is the Minister committed to it in principle?

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

Derek McDowell: It is an interesting amendment because TRS has been one of the serious improvements in the way the tax system is administered in recent years. It would be useful if it could be extended to other areas where people frequently do not make claims. As I understand it — the Minister can correct me if I am wrong — what currently happens is that if one takes out a mortgage with a financial...

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

Derek McDowell: I have been notified in writing. I accept that the Cathaoirleach effectively carries out an administrative function in the House but he has ingeniously managed to rule out of order all my recommendations, including some recommendations which were permitted in the Dáil.

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

Derek McDowell: I also know there is no point querying things with the Cathaoirleach.

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

Derek McDowell: Perhaps these recommendations are being ruled out of order simply because there was so little notice but we only had 18 hours from the end of Second Stage last night. There has always been a certain flexibility with regard to recommendations on the Finance Bill because almost anything can be construed as a charge on the people or on the Exchequer. It is impossible to deal with the Finance...

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

Derek McDowell: I understand that the Leas-Chathaoirleach cannot change the Cathaoirleach's ruling but a little common sense is required. Almost any recommendation put down for the Finance Bill can be ruled out of order; it is possible to find some way of doing it. I am disappointed the Cathaoirleach has managed, particularly in such an extraordinary fashion, to rule everything out of order.

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

Derek McDowell: All my recommendations were ruled out of order due to being a charge on the people.

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

Derek McDowell: I will speak on the next section.

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

Derek McDowell: Forgive me for commenting that these recommendations are obviously out of order, notwithstanding that amendments of this kind have always been allowed in this House. Senator Mansergh is right in that all we can expect to achieve in this House is to have a reasonable debate about issues during the course of the two and a half hours available to us. None of us is naive enough to think the...

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

Derek McDowell: The Minister has set out his priorities in an interesting way and I have no quibble with them. Can we take it that the commitment to reduce the higher rate of tax from 42% to 40% is also not a priority? I invite the Minister to go a little further in terms of the PAYE tax credit. In principle I do not have a difficulty with this, but there is a problem, as the Minister knows, with regard to...