Results 22,441-22,460 of 26,960 for speaker:Richard Boyd Barrett

Water Services Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Report and Final Stages (7 Mar 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I support the amendment. As the Minister of State is well aware, the People Before Profit Alliance strenuously opposes the Government's plan to introduce water charges and establish a company that will commence the process of privatisation, notwithstanding its denials that this is the case. I assure the Minister of State that there will be a major campaign of resistance to the Government's...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Finance Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Mar 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I seek in my contribution, and this has been stated in a number of contributions in this regard, to shine a light on these areas. There is a veil of secrecy hanging over them. I would point out to Deputy Twomey that I was not the only one who raised the issue of this company. It was covered in The Irish Times. I picked up on it in questions taken in the Dáil and put the issue to the...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Finance Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Mar 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I know, but we are dealing with a section not just the amendment.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Finance Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Mar 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I want to query the amendment and the context in which it fits in because we need to shine a light on these areas. There is another way to put this and it is not about conspiracies or agenda. What the Minister of State said could be put another way, namely, that what we are engaged in is tax piracy. Did he call it "first move"?

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Finance Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Mar 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: First move advantage.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Finance Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Mar 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Another way of describing that is tax piracy. Whether we take my view or the Minister of State's view, what we need is some clarity on this. How many firms are involved? How many jobs do they create? Where is the evidence that jobs are being created? I have given one example of a company where no jobs have been created. Can the Minister tell us any more about this in order that we can...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Finance Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Mar 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: It is actually related.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Finance Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Mar 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Here we go again. We already have real estate investment trusts, REITs, investment limited partnerships, ILPs, and now we have enhanced equipment trust certificates, EETCs. The same logic runs behind all of these, namely, tax breaks for foreign capital supposedly on the grounds that the latter will bring with it jobs and investment. I am aware of the Government's view on this matter. It...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Finance Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Mar 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: There are two issues. I learned about REITs yesterday and now we are learning about investment limited partnerships.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Finance Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Mar 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Clearly, the Minister of State knows all about them too because he can read his notes to explain them to me. Deputy Liam Twomey probably knows more about them. I refer to two issues. The information offered to Deputy Peter Mathews would be interesting because we need to scrutinise these issues to know who benefits from these tax breaks. The other aspect of interest is that of financial...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Finance Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Mar 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: This is an important issue, on which the Government has strong views, as is obvious during exchanges on it. However, big questions remain to be answered. The committee and the public would be assisted in making an objective judgment on the issues involved if they could have in front of them all of the information and evidence available. It is clear that other countries have moved ahead...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Finance Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Mar 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I was not proposing to do so.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Finance Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Mar 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I was simply pointing out that there were different approaches.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Finance Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Mar 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Therefore, it would be helpful in dealing with such matters as tax exemptions in the Finance Bill, in order to make an informed judgment, whether it be good, bad or indifferent-----

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Finance Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Mar 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Will the Minister of State elaborate a little?

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Finance Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Mar 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: That is as clear as mud.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Finance Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Mar 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Will the Minister of State explain in layman's language why they get this VAT exemption?

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Finance Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Mar 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: That is not a good reason.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Finance Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Mar 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Why?

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Finance Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Mar 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I am not trying to be difficult here. I am simply looking at this change and other changes further down where there are exemptions from tax. I feel an obligation as a member of the committee to ask questions where tax is being foregone but we do not fully understand why, given that we are in a situation in which, as we are all aware, things are rather tight.