Results 43,201-43,220 of 46,456 for speaker:Simon Harris

Water Sector Reforms: Motion (Resumed) (19 Nov 2014)

Simon Harris: Hear, hear.

Water Sector Reforms: Motion (Resumed) (19 Nov 2014)

Simon Harris: Hear, hear.

Water Sector Reforms: Motion (Resumed) (19 Nov 2014)

Simon Harris: Can the Deputy repeat that?

Water Sector Reforms: Motion (Resumed) (19 Nov 2014)

Simon Harris: I am not immediately able to answer your question.

Water Sector Reforms: Motion (Resumed) (19 Nov 2014)

Simon Harris: Hear, hear.

Water Sector Reforms: Motion (Resumed) (19 Nov 2014)

Simon Harris: That is an unfair comment.

Water Sector Reforms: Motion (Resumed) (19 Nov 2014)

Simon Harris: The Deputy is making an accusation of bias.

Water Sector Reforms: Motion (Resumed) (19 Nov 2014)

Simon Harris: The Deputy's party caused a sit-in.

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

Simon Harris: The European Commission advised the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine that farm restructuring relief, which is currently given to farm buildings, contravenes EU state aid rules. Considering that this was a relief for farm consolidation, if property were to be included, it would be, in the view of the Commissioner, a move away from farming. It would also have to be extended...

Water Sector Reforms: Motion (Resumed) (19 Nov 2014)

Simon Harris: It is so obvious.

Water Sector Reforms: Motion (Resumed) (19 Nov 2014)

Simon Harris: We have had 15 minutes of Deputy Cowen and no suggestions.

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

Simon Harris: We already had the tax debate and I would argue they pay a lot more tax than the Deputy believes they pay. I will not convince the Deputy on that one but the report might.

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. 64: In page 60, between lines 26 and 27, to insert the following:"Amendment of section 626B of Principal Act (exemption from tax in the case of gains on certain disposals of shares) 39.(1) Section 626B of the Principal Act is amended by inserting the following after subsection (3):“(3A) For the avoidance of doubt, the treatment of a gain, as not being a chargeable...

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. 65: In page 62, line 9, to delete "951" and substitute "959I".This amendment relates to section 42 of the Bill. It corrects an incorrect statutory reference in section 42. It is a technical amendment.

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. 66: In page 62, between lines 10 and 11, to insert the following:"43.Section 604B of the Principal Act is amended in subsection (1)(a) -(a) by substituting the following for the definition of "agricultural land":" 'agricultural land' means land used for the purposes of farming but does not include buildings on the land;",and (b) in the definition of "relevant period" by...

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

Simon Harris: It might be useful to put on the record the supplementary briefing material I have. It might give members an understanding of the rationale behind this. The definition of "agricultural land" is being amended to exclude buildings due to concerns for EU state aid compliance. The original definition already excluded farm houses and mansion houses unless they were derelict and unfit for human...

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

Simon Harris: Some of the Deputy's language was unfortunate and out of character. The Minister for Finance, in the Deputy's years of dealing with him, has never been known to be disrespectful. He engages, responds and puts his point across forcefully. Not even his own most ardent political opponents would believe the Minister to be a fool. The economic markets looking at Ireland and the turnaround of...

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 the right to raise these issues again but parts of them were probably debated earlier. In everyone's interest, I will not return to the issue of multinationals and the contribution they make, except to say that about 250,000 of the ordinary people of whom the Deputy speaks work in foreign direct investment firms in this country. Some of them might live in the Deputy's...

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

Simon Harris: There is a final point I wish to make on this. Our company residence rules come from 1906 case law. They have been in place since pre-independence. It is not fair to any Irish Government, whatever its view, to suggest people sat down to plan and plot it. It evolved through international mismatches as outlined. This is an attempt to move beyond that. We are co-operating at an...

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

Simon Harris: Companies need to have a period of time to provide certainty. The amendment we are speaking to limits the ability of companies to pretend to be established in advance of 1 January 2015. One will have read media articles expressing concerns that other companies would open here but there are companies here with substantial employment bases and tax bases. People need certainty in regard to...