Results 2,581-2,600 of 4,717 for speaker:Martin Mansergh

Seanad: Order of Business (30 Nov 2006)

Martin Mansergh: I strongly support the call for a debate on the report on collusion. While the two Governments have substantially shared values regarding Northern Ireland, that was not the case in the 1970s when it seems Britain viewed the situation through the lens of various distant colonial wars it had been fighting. It had very different attitudes. Unfortunately, even today's shared values do not seem...

Seanad: Order of Business (30 Nov 2006)

Martin Mansergh: I would welcome an opportunity to express the point of view from the Government side of the House. In the past this House has debated Turkey's accession to the European Union. I welcome the Pope's statements on the matter which make it clear that he does not oppose and, if anything, would welcome in principle Turkey becoming part of the European Union under the right conditions.

Seanad: Order of Business (30 Nov 2006)

Martin Mansergh: There is no basis for that claim.

Seanad: Order of Business (30 Nov 2006)

Martin Mansergh: None of them passed through Shannon Airport.

Seanad: Order of Business (30 Nov 2006)

Martin Mansergh: There is no basis for saying that.

Seanad: Tax Code: Motion (29 Nov 2006)

Martin Mansergh: Of course not. We are waiting for the budget.

Seanad: Tax Code: Motion (29 Nov 2006)

Martin Mansergh: I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Seanad Éireann" and substitute the following: "notes the very significant improvements in the Irish tax system under the current Government, including: increasing the number of income earners who are now out of the tax net from 380,000 ten years ago to 776,000 now; exempting those on the minimum wage from tax; reducing from 20% to 8% the...

Seanad: Tax Code: Motion (29 Nov 2006)

Martin Mansergh: Can Senator John Paul Phelan seriously suggest that the Government was wrong for example——

Seanad: Tax Code: Motion (29 Nov 2006)

Martin Mansergh: ——to make an exemption for second hand houses? I disagree. There are wider economic factors at work. Contrary to what the Senator says the rest is relevant. A budget must be considered and the entire Government needs revenue. Economic commentators have said that construction and housing are in a bubble and one cannot rely on the revenues from them.

Seanad: Tax Code: Motion (29 Nov 2006)

Martin Mansergh: Effectively the argument is that we should make permanent cuts to the tax base despite that.

Seanad: Tax Code: Motion (29 Nov 2006)

Martin Mansergh: A submission by the Construction Industry Federation which calls for the abolition of stamp duty on new homes is relevant.

Seanad: Tax Code: Motion (29 Nov 2006)

Martin Mansergh: It cites an estimated cost of approximately €300 million; numbers benefiting "not available". That is very eloquent because if one were to abolish the duty on first homes the Construction Industry Federation might well be the sole and entire beneficiary, and that might be why numbers are not available. The motion proposes a simplistic solution but one must consider its effect and who will...

Seanad: Tax Code: Motion (29 Nov 2006)

Martin Mansergh: There was a motion tabled in his name last week about how inflation should be the overriding consideration. I question the radical measures advocated by, among others, the main part of the paper of which he is not the business editor. I wonder what would be the inflation effects of doing that. I also question the equity in the suggestion that older people should not pay tax on the transfer...

Seanad: Tax Code: Motion (29 Nov 2006)

Martin Mansergh: The rise in house prices is already a serious problem for intergenerational equity and this measure would make it worse. As the Government amendment makes clear——

Seanad: Tax Code: Motion (29 Nov 2006)

Martin Mansergh: We have produced in general a relatively low tax economy. The point on income tax, in case Senator John Paul Phelan missed it, is what the effective tax rate is. If one is self-employed or a farmer the Revenue Commissioners tell one what the effective tax rate is. That is quite different from what one might pay on a marginal part of one's income. There are two bottom lines.

Seanad: Tax Code: Motion (29 Nov 2006)

Martin Mansergh: One is that we must be careful not to do anything that would give yet another spurt to an unsustainable rise in prices in the long term. A record number of houses will have been constructed this year, approximately 85,000. If we give more concessions will we just add to house price inflation and who will benefit from that, the purchaser or the developer? The second point is important at a...

Seanad: Tax Code: Motion (29 Nov 2006)

Martin Mansergh: To be fair to the Tánaiste, he was speaking as leader of the Progressive Democrats Party. He was referring to Progressive Democrats policy——

Seanad: Tax Code: Motion (29 Nov 2006)

Martin Mansergh: ——going into the next general election. He made that clear in subsequent comments. He is quite entitled to have his view.

Seanad: Tax Code: Motion (29 Nov 2006)

Martin Mansergh: I am concerned that the revenues of the State would be protected. I accept that one of the inequities in the current stamp duty regime is the sudden step change. When one goes over a particular threshold, one then pays that higher rate or starts paying on the entire amount. In an ideal world that is not particularly equitable and ways and means should be found to address it when the...

Seanad: Tax Code: Motion (29 Nov 2006)

Martin Mansergh: The question is whether the best time to do it is when one has record numbers of house purchases. One of the achievements of the Government is the significant increase in the supply of housing by 85,000 units. I do not know the figure for 1997 off the top of my head but I suspect it was something like half of that number. The population is rising sharply. I do not deny the problems faced...