Results 2,141-2,160 of 4,178 for speaker:Paul Gavan

Seanad: Finance Bill 2020: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2020)

Paul Gavan: I move recommendation No. 7: In page 54, between lines 23 and 24, to insert the following: “Report on restoring cap on intangible assets 23. The Minister shall, within six months of the passing of this Act, prepare and lay before both Houses of the Oireachtas a report on restoring the 80 per cent cap on intangible assets onshored between 2015 and 2017 that can be written off...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2020: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2020)

Paul Gavan: I welcome that thoughtful contribution by Senator Casey. There is much on which I agree with him. It emphasises the frustration of those of us on this side of the House. The requests that are being made are very reasonable. We are asking the Government to prepare a report. It is very disappointing that, recommendation after recommendation, the Minister of State is refusing to engage in...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2020: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2020)

Paul Gavan: The Minister of State is being grossly unfair. Senator Higgins is asking for a report on what the impact of these proposals would be. It is very different. Again, I have to point out that so far today, the Minister of State has rejected every constructive proposal for a report. We should expect better than this type of engagement. Senator Higgins is asking for a report that could well...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2020: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2020)

Paul Gavan: Sinn Féin is opposed to sections 27 to 30, inclusive, of this Bill. This is an area that really concerns me because the carbon tax is fundamentally regressive. When I raised the issue with the Minister of State earlier in the week, he came back with an answer that stated that "on carbon tax on low income households, the budget provides three measures". He mentioned the €3.50...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2020: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2020)

Paul Gavan: I highlight the contrast. The Bill seeks to lock in year-on-year increases in the carbon tax until 2030, increases the Minister of State has admitted are regressive. Where are the corresponding increases in social welfare? At the very least, the Government should have ensured that was matched to make it fair. The Government should also have addressed the weekly income limit that applies...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2020: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2020)

Paul Gavan: We are making political points here. It is never personal. The Senator asked for constructive solutions so I will give her some. The Government could have and should have upped the level of accessibility for the fuel allowance. As I have pointed out for the third time now, a minimum wage couple do not qualify for that allowance. The lowest paid workers in the State do not qualify for it....

Seanad: Finance Bill 2020: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2020)

Paul Gavan: I want to home in on one particular piece of language the Minister of State has used in response to the measures that have been taken to help people. The Minister of State refers to the fuel allowance increase of €3.50, which will go to a broad range of lower-income households. I will keep this very simple. Is the Minister of State disputing that a couple on the minimum wage will...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2020: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2020)

Paul Gavan: I take the Minister of State’s point and there has been a good engagement on this issue. My point is that while most of us are going to have to pay more, it should not fall disproportionately on lower-income workers. As the OECD has evidenced, one in four workers in the State are lower-income workers. Unfortunately, given the way the Government has constituted this measure in this...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2020: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2020)

Paul Gavan: I move recommendation No. 11: “Report on distributional impact of increases in the carbon tax from 2021 to 2030 37. The Minister shall, within six months of the passing of this Act, prepare and lay before both Houses of the Oireachtas a report on the distributional impact of changes made to the carbon tax from 2021 to 2030 through sections 26, 27and 28of the Finance Act...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2020: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2020)

Paul Gavan: The difficulty is this. What Members across the Chamber and what the Minister of State's Department have acknowledged is that this is a regressive tax. What we are asking for is a report to exactly show how regressive it is and who it is failing most in terms of unfairness. If the Minister of State is serious about ring-fencing funds and making sure they go to the people who most need...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2020: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2020)

Paul Gavan: Yes.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2020: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2020)

Paul Gavan: The Minister of State might shine a light on this section. Am I misreading it, as it looks like we are subsidising NATO now? Is that correct?

Seanad: Finance Bill 2020: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2020)

Paul Gavan: This is quite extraordinary. This seems to have escaped the notice of most people. It is bad enough that US troops are using our civilian airport at Shannon on their way to wreak havoc across the world. We need only look at the war in Yemen, supported by the US and the horrendous death and destruction there, but now it turns out we are going to subsidise the US troops as they go through...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2020: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2020)

Paul Gavan: It is still wrong. It is morally wrong but we never hear anything of that from the Minister of State's colleagues in the House.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2020: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2020)

Paul Gavan: I move recommendation No. 12: In page 76, after line 32, to insert the following: “Report on the operation of the Retail Export Scheme 47. The Minister shall, within six months of the passing of this Act, prepare and lay before both Houses of the Oireachtas a report on the operation of the Retail Export Scheme.”. At last this is something we can all agree on. I know from...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2020: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2020)

Paul Gavan: I move recommendation No. 20: In page 80, between lines 33 and 34, to insert the following: "Report on the taxation of pandemic unemployment payments made under section 202 of Social Welfare Consolidation Act of 2005 57. The Minister shall, within three months of the passing of this Act, prepare and lay before both Houses of the Oireachtas a report on the taxation of payments commonly...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2020: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2020)

Paul Gavan: I move recommendation No. 21: In page 80, between lines 33 and 34, to insert the following: "Report on the cost of expenditures to companies in receipt of section 110 tax relief 57.The Minister shall, within six months of the passing of this Act, prepare and lay before both Houses of the Oireachtas a report on the annual cost of tax expenditures provided to companies in receipt of...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2020: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2020)

Paul Gavan: I take the Minister of State's point. We will certainly take it up in other areas. However, the Minister of State highlighted a fundamental issue in terms of Revenue and when it comes to wealth, namely, there is not enough information when there needs to be. It is striking to Sinn Féin that, every year, when we propose a wealth tax, the Department of Finance comes back and states it...

Seanad: Deportation Moratorium (Covid-19) Bill 2020: Second Stage (9 Dec 2020)

Paul Gavan: It is good to see the Minister. I wish her well. I wish to speak on the Bill because I feel quite passionately about it. It is a terrific initiative on behalf of the Civil Engagement Group and it deserves our support. It shows the flexibility and agility that we need to employ in these very precarious times. The intent of the Bill is to bring some compassion into how we treat migrants...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (8 Dec 2020)

Paul Gavan: I want to return to retail workers again this morning. Clearly, with all of the worries of Brexit and what we may be facing in the new year it becomes even more concerning. One particular issue has raised its head, and I hope the Leader might be able to help. I have written to the Minister but I understand that she is very busy right now. As the House will be aware, our retail workers...