Results 5,861-5,880 of 32,547 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Supplementary Budget for Rural Communities and Farmers: Motion [Private Members] (23 Feb 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank all the Deputies for the contributions they have made to this very important debate. I reiterate my appreciation of the great challenges that many people are facing at the moment as we see the rising cost of energy and fuel. That is why the Government has brought forward measures to aim to provide assistance to those who need it the most, accompanied by the rebate for energy bills...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Energy Prices (23 Feb 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: The Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers Fuel Grant is regulated by S.I. 635/2015 and provides for payment of a fuel grant based on a the value of excise chargeable per litre rate of fuel. The grant is based on the excise component of the fuel, not the market price. The current value is €0.636 for petrol, €0.535 for diesel and €0.118 for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Energy Prices (23 Feb 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: As the Deputy is aware, the final retail price of fuel is determined by a number of factors including the costs of production, distribution, global market factors, international exchange rates, taxation, wholesale market contracts as well as individual retail pricing policies. Ireland’s taxation of fuel is based on European Union law as set out in the Energy Tax Directive which sets...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Code (23 Feb 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: As the Deputy will be aware, agricultural relief allows the value of agricultural assets gifted or inherited (including farmland, buildings, stock) to be reduced by 90% of its value for the calculation of a Capital Acquisition Tax (CAT) liability. This is a valuable relief from CAT and a fundamental objective of this relief is that it is availed of by genuine, and active farmers, and that it...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Reliefs (23 Feb 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: Recent Government policy has been focused on strengthening the environmental rationale behind company car taxation. Until the Finance Act 2019 Ireland’s vehicle benefit-in-kind regime was unusual in that there was no overall CO2 rationale in the regime, despite a CO2 based vehicle BIK regime being legislated for as far back as 2008 (but never having been commenced). Section 6 of the...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Reliefs (23 Feb 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: The Programme for Government includes a commitment to facilitate and support remote working. The National Remote Work Strategy aims to make remote work a permanent feature of the Irish working experience in a way that maximises the economic, social and environmental benefits. As part of the national remote working strategy: Making Remote Work, the Tax Strategy Group (TSG) reviewed the...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Primary Medical Certificates (23 Feb 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: The Disabled Drivers & Disabled Passengers Scheme provides relief from Vehicle Registration Tax and VAT on the purchase and use of an adapted car, as well as an exemption from motor tax and an annual fuel grant. The Scheme is open to severely and permanently disabled persons as a driver or as a passenger and also to certain charitable organisations. In order to qualify for relief,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Tax Code (22 Feb 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: I also need to listen to the Climate Change Advisory Council which, as I reminded Sinn Féin in our debate earlier, has advised us that carbon tax is a key component of transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient and environmentally-sustainable economy. That is its view on this. Of course, I accept the change that is happening. I was at pains to acknowledge earlier that with regard...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Tax Code (22 Feb 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: The reason we introduced the lump sum payment of €125 for those in receipt of the fuel allowance is to ensure that as part of our package we have funding and a payment available to those who need help the most. What we had here was a package that in its breadth and cost of €500 million was looking to respond to the challenges that we accept many are facing due to the rising...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (22 Feb 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: I am afraid I do not follow the questions from Deputy Connolly. She asked me what was the way forward, and I said what the way forward was in the employment wage subsidy scheme. The report focused on the impact of the employment wage subsidy scheme on SMEs. On the question asked by Deputy Carroll MacNeill, she raised an important point that is covered in this report, which is that there...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (22 Feb 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: I repeat what I said to the Deputy. She has a habit of giving me a very precise question and when I give her a very precise answer, she normally dismisses it.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (22 Feb 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: The Deputy asked me what the future of the schemes was and I answered the question. She asked what was the way forward for the sector, and I answered the question. I gave the Deputy a precise answer to a precise question. I do not know how my answering the question has provoked her to draw an analogy of good pupils and bad pupils.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (22 Feb 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: I come into this House, as is my obligation and duty, and I answer the questions the Deputies put to me. However, as I said, the Deputy asks a precise question, I give a precise answer and more often than not she dismisses it. The Deputy asked me a question about the future of the employment wage subsidy scheme and I answered it.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Tax Code (22 Feb 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: The Deputy should have ended on better terms.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Tax Code (22 Feb 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 23 and 62 together. I am glad to assure that my humour is good. I am just answering all the questions that are put to me, including by the Deputy. Regarding where things stand with that, I will spend time trying to find the written material here and would do so at the expense of answering the Deputy's question. The Revenue Commissioners are currently...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Tax Code (22 Feb 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: I am sure the Ceann Comhairle would be liberal in his application of those rules on this occasion if there are any matters the Deputy believes I have not answered.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Tax Code (22 Feb 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: As I said, and the Minister of State, Deputy Fleming, was the first to say it, we appreciate the fundamental importance of these companies to the operation of our economy and we recognised that through the support schemes we had in place. To deal with the Deputy's question regarding the future, I will park the EWSS for now, given that we have discussed it already. What does the future hold?...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Tax Code (22 Feb 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 24, 60 and 230 together. This was the subject of a Private Members' motion today and is the subject of another one tomorrow. I will repeat the key points I made earlier. I believe that carbon taxing is playing and will play an important role in how we can reduce carbon emissions in the future. The challenge we face with regard to the climate is...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Small and Medium Enterprises (22 Feb 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: Specifically, the findings of the report estimate that the share of firms making losses throughout 2020 and 2021 could have been around one third higher if supports were not available. It finds that in the absence of the extensive supports provided by the Government to SMEs, the distress rate for companies would have been 72% higher. Moreover, by 2024, without the support that we had in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Tax Code (22 Feb 2022)

Paschal Donohoe: As we have debated on several occasions already, these funds and this capital are leading to the supply of more homes overall and this does have to be seen in conjunction with, for example, a very strong public housing programme. I know the Deputy wants us to build more public housing but we are going to build well in excess of 6,000 public homes this year through local authorities and...