Results 6,021-6,040 of 35,563 for speaker:Pearse Doherty

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 Nov 2022)

Pearse Doherty: I appreciate that. The Minister disputes my figures, which are from his own officials and have been published in table 5 of the Tax Strategy Group's papers. The difference is that the group tells us that 647,000 will benefit. That is a lot of people, representing the top 23% of income earners. The Minister says that there are approximately another 400,000. In fairness, he also says that...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 Nov 2022)

Pearse Doherty: I would have to look at the categories in detail because there are average industrial earnings.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 Nov 2022)

Pearse Doherty: The average earnings would be higher than the medium earnings.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 Nov 2022)

Pearse Doherty: I take the Minister's figures, and the medium earning was €30,000.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 Nov 2022)

Pearse Doherty: Give me that again.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 Nov 2022)

Pearse Doherty: No, I do not accept that because the Minister is looking at one measure in terms of the budget.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 Nov 2022)

Pearse Doherty: He is. If the Minister wants me to swap seats with him and introduce a budget, I am happy to be scrutinised on all of that. The Minister knows that median earnings is an accurate way of looking at the reflection of wages in society and he has acknowledged that under the €750 million package somebody on €30,000 or €35,000 will benefit. He has also acknowledged that only...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 Nov 2022)

Pearse Doherty: I am questioning the Minister on why he has decided to do that.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 Nov 2022)

Pearse Doherty: The Minister has decided to reward people with higher earnings.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 Nov 2022)

Pearse Doherty: Hang on. With respect, median is a measure of average. Do not put words in my mouth.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 Nov 2022)

Pearse Doherty: The Minister is talking about mean earnings.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 Nov 2022)

Pearse Doherty: I used median earnings and the Minister is using mean earnings. They are two measurements of average earnings.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 Nov 2022)

Pearse Doherty: They are different measurements.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 Nov 2022)

Pearse Doherty: I am not; I am just correcting the Minister. In fairness, the Minister's official told him I am right.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 Nov 2022)

Pearse Doherty: Not at all. I am always happy to defend those on low and middle income earnings when it comes to tax measures.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 Nov 2022)

Pearse Doherty: That is not true.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 Nov 2022)

Pearse Doherty: That is not true.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 Nov 2022)

Pearse Doherty: I will move amendment No. 16 later on. We have long argued for a refundable tax credit for renters. In the last session on the Finance Bill, I put it to the Minister that his policies and those of his Government had led to runaway rents and that families, renters and individuals are under great financial pressure as a result of the inaction of his Government. In one incident, the Cabinet...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 Nov 2022)

Pearse Doherty: I have a couple of questions for the Minister. I will pick up on the point he made in respect of amendment No. 9. I raised this matter with his officials during the technical briefing. The Minister mentioned that there needs to be a cut-off age but there does not. If the principle behind the rent credit is to support renters, there are two ways to do it. A refundable tax credit, which...