Results 21-40 of 266 for speaker:Shay Brennan

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: The Impact of Tariffs on the Irish Economy: Nevin Economic Research Institute (16 Jul 2025)

Shay Brennan: Understood.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: The Impact of Tariffs on the Irish Economy: Nevin Economic Research Institute (16 Jul 2025)

Shay Brennan: I would like to ask Dr. McDonnell his opinion. He outlined two potential ways forward or two strategies, one of which is to accept a tariff and move on and the other is to play hardball, take a more strategic approach and hope the other side folds first. Does he have a preference or an opinion as to which would be best for Ireland in this situation?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2025)

Shay Brennan: I will ask some broader questions. Mr. O'Brien mentioned Ireland's reputation. How will Ireland's reputation as a pro-business economy will be affected? In IBEC's opinion, what likely impacts would there be in the short, medium and long term to foreign direct investment, FDI, if we were to enact both trade and services as part of this legislation?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2025)

Shay Brennan: Mr. O'Brien referenced the feedback from IBEC's members. At this stage, I imagine IBEC has received a reasonable amount of feedback. What are their key concerns, whether founded or unfounded? Some might just be fears about things that will not come to pass, but some might be quite valid. What sectors of the economy are the concerns coming from?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2025)

Shay Brennan: Is IBEC detecting any support from its member businesses to proceed down this route?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2025)

Shay Brennan: The Bill is in its early stages and a lot of it has to be developed, particularly the detail. Are there any safeguards that IBEC's members would be keen to see included in a Bill such as this?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2025)

Shay Brennan: Clarity and certainty.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2025)

Shay Brennan: In recent weeks, we have heard from various legal experts. Some of them have told us that this Bill could be challenged. If there is a challenge, it is likely to come from one of two places. One is the EU. The second is an Irish company. I am not referring to a specific company but it would be a company that feels injured. Has there been any talk among the members of IBEC or has Mr....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2025)

Shay Brennan: Does Mr. O'Brien have any knowledge of any IBEC members taking action against legislation because they felt injured by its introduction in the past?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2025)

Shay Brennan: That is fair. Mr. O'Brien has talked about businesses, particularly where services are involved, potentially moving a team or a piece of business abroad. We are talking about large businesses in those scenarios but some businesses are quite small and composed of a few people. They do not have the ability to move abroad. Has Mr. O'Brien heard of any business that is potentially threatened...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2025)

Shay Brennan: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2025)

Shay Brennan: I have a minute left, Chair. May I give it to Senator Higgins?

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Tax Credits (15 Jul 2025)

Shay Brennan: Could the Minister confirm the number of taxpayer units that have made claims for the rent tax credit since its introduction in December 2022? With budget 2025 further increasing the credit to €1,000 for individuals and €2,000 for jointly assessed couples, will the Minister comment on the scale of uptake and effectiveness of this credit in supporting private renters and make a...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Tax Credits (15 Jul 2025)

Shay Brennan: We are all acutely aware of the persistent challenges facing renters. The rent tax credit introduced in budget 2023 at €500 has been a tangible intervention for people grappling with higher rental costs. This credit was subsequently increased to €750 and reached €1,000 for individuals and €2,000 for couples in budget 2025. Since its inception three years ago, it...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Tax Credits (15 Jul 2025)

Shay Brennan: The Minister will probably appreciate that most of the questions he is asked between now and October will be to seek his plans for the upcoming budget. Could he provide an update in the meantime on the overall awareness and uptake of the rent tax credit since its launch? My understanding is that the Department of Finance estimates that around 400,000 renters are eligible to claim this...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Tax Collection (15 Jul 2025)

Shay Brennan: I note June is a non-VAT-due month yet receipts so far have been relatively robust, with cumulative VAT up by €0.6 billion at €11.6 billion, albeit reportedly about €100 million below profile. Will the Minister comment on the significance of these figures?

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Tax Collection (15 Jul 2025)

Shay Brennan: While the increase of €0.6 billion in cumulative VAT receipts is encouraging, there are signals of underlying volatility. VAT is approximately €100 million behind profile, as I stated. Although modest in percentage terms, that may indicate emerging trends. Will the Minister elaborate on what the Department interprets as the trend in VAT collection so far this year?...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Tax Collection (15 Jul 2025)

Shay Brennan: In light of the urgent issues in housing supply, IBEC recently proposed that the Government address apartment construction viability directly by reducing VAT on new-build apartments by 5% and discontinuing development levies on such projects. Its analysis suggests these actions would reduce direct State-imposed costs at a cost of about €86 million, which is less than the shortfall...