Results 43,181-43,200 of 46,267 for speaker:Simon Harris

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Finance Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2014)

Simon Harris: Yes.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Finance Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2014)

Simon Harris: Yes.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Finance Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2014)

Simon Harris: There was a consultation process, the report of which is on the Department of Finance's website. It is open to anybody who wishes to do so to make points on it. Obviously, IDA Ireland is a key source of information for the Government in this regard and it is supportive of the enhanced scheme.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Finance Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2014)

Simon Harris: That is the nub of the point I am making. This obviously attracts individuals and, therefore, those individuals are recorded as a new job in Ireland and they obviously pay a tax element that I contend they would not pay without it. It is crucial that we have key decisions-makers here. IDA Ireland officials are trying to get into meeting rooms across the globe to encourage people to come to...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Finance Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2014)

Simon Harris: No. The minimum time an individual would have to be non-tax resident in Ireland is five years.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Finance Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2014)

Simon Harris: The Minister for Finance would be forthright in saying that this is worth trying. The scheme has been in place now since 2012. We have been asked, through a consultation process which has been published and through linkage with State agencies such as IDA Ireland, to look at enhancing the scheme, taking into account what our competitors are doing. We are doing that now. Why not try it?

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Finance Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2014)

Simon Harris: We will come to that issue later when discussing an amendment in the name of Deputy Doherty.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Finance Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2014)

Simon Harris: I move amendment No. 12: In page 21, line 38, to delete " 'A' and".

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Finance Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2014)

Simon Harris: I move amendment No. 13: In page 21, to delete lines 40 to 42 and substitute the following: " "(3) (a) Subject to paragraph (b), where, for a tax year, a relevant employee—(i) is resident in the State for tax purposes and is not resident elsewhere,".

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Finance Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2014)

Simon Harris: I move amendment No. 14: In page 22, between lines 11 and 12, to insert the following: "(b) With effect from the tax year 2015, paragraph (a)(i) shall apply as if the words 'and is not resident elsewhere' were deleted.".

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Finance Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2014)

Simon Harris: I move amendment No. 15: In page 22, line 12, to delete "(b) A relevant" and substitute "(c) A relevant".

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Finance Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2014)

Simon Harris: I move amendment No. 16: In page 23, between lines 3 and 4, to insert the following:"(f) by deleting subsection (5),".

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Finance Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2014)

Simon Harris: On the question regarding section 13(2B)(c)(i), that is a claw-back measure. It only applies if an employee leaves before the 12 month period. In other words, if the full 12 months is not fulfilled, then relief will be apportioned. While an individual must have committed to spend 12 months here, he or she could arrive mid-year in, say, June or July, which would be the middle of the tax year.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Finance Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2014)

Simon Harris: The Deputy has made his opinion clear.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Finance Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2014)

Simon Harris: I will endeavour to respond to the variety of issues raised by members. Deputy Boyd Barrett and I will probably disagree on this point but I do not accept the logic that this Government is not taking any action to protect lower income workers and people on the lower end of pay scales. I reference the fact that 410,000 people who were paying the USC when we came to office will now not be...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Finance Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2014)

Simon Harris: I will do so. Every now and again I might just try to move on to a political point because I presume people are raising political points because they would like me to respond to them politically. I take the Chairman's point.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Finance Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2014)

Simon Harris: I am sure we can dip in and out of that debate during the course of the day. The Government is very mindful of the sacrifices made by low and middle income families. Budget 2015 was the first step in an attempt to alleviate some of those burdens. This relief is an attempt to attract key decision-makers into boardrooms in Ireland. Let us be realistic. There are massive companies with...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Finance Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2014)

Simon Harris: I move amendment No. 11:In page 21, line 32, to delete " 'A' and".Amendments Nos. 11 and 12 are connected. Section 13(c) introduces a revised definition of specified amount into section 825C of the Taxes Consolidation Act. The revision is necessary to facilitate removal of the upper income threshold. Amendments Nos. 11 and 12 relate to an apportionment of relief in cases where an assignee...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Finance Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2014)

Simon Harris: Amendments Nos. 13 and 14 are connected and relate to section 13(d). This paragraph relaxes the requirements for tax residency for individuals coming to the State. Such individuals will no longer be prevented from claiming relief by reason of having dual residency. The wording employed in the Bill as initiated may inadvertently delay relief in certain circumstances. Amendments Nos. 15 and...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance: Finance Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2014)

Simon Harris: In the original provision in SARP, this rule excluded assignees from countries, such as citizens of the United States who were deemed to be tax resident elsewhere. It is to ensure that individuals from countries such as the United States can avail of the SARP. It was probably inadvertent not to have had it included in the first place.