Results 7,101-7,120 of 33,175 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Small and Medium Enterprises (16 Dec 2021)

Paschal Donohoe: As Minister for Finance, one of my main concerns is to ensure that SMEs have access to sufficient liquidity, and that access to credit for SMEs is maintained. My Department commissions a survey biannually to monitor SME credit levels which are published on www.Gov.ie. Furthermore, since the onset of COVID-19 restrictions the Government has introduced a range of measures to assist companies...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Consumer Prices (16 Dec 2021)

Paschal Donohoe: Developments in domestic economic conditions over the pandemic period closely tracked the introduction and relaxation of public health restrictions and are clearly seen in the volatile pattern of consumer spending.  While the relationship between consumer spending and the stringency of restrictions has weakened over time, the two variables remain strongly correlated, with the...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Code (16 Dec 2021)

Paschal Donohoe: As the outset the Deputy should note that as per my previous replies, I have no plans to make any changes to the CGT rate in the way suggested by him.. However, he should be aware that all taxes are subject to ongoing review which includes the consideration and assessment of rates along with any associated reliefs and exemptions. Tax policy in relation to CGT is reviewed by the Tax...

Finance Bill 2021: From the Seanad (15 Dec 2021)

Paschal Donohoe: I welcome the support from all who have spoken for the recommendations that have been made to the Dáil this evening. I also welcome colleagues' general support for the EWSS and the very positive role it has played in the preservation of employers and the maintenance of work during such a difficult period of the pandemic in our country. I will say a few words about the various issues...

Finance Bill 2021: From the Seanad (15 Dec 2021)

Paschal Donohoe: The wage subsidy schemes, namely, the employment wage subsidy scheme, EWSS, and its predecessor, the temporary wage subsidy scheme, TWSS, have been a substantial and key part of the Government response to the pandemic. The EWSS has played a central role in supporting businesses, encouraging employment and helping to maintain the link between employers and employees. Since the introduction...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (15 Dec 2021)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 53, 55 and 58 together. Section 28B of the Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Covid-19) Act 2020 provides for the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) which is an economy-wide enterprise support for eligible businesses. EWSS provides a subsidy to qualifying employers, based on the number of qualifying employees on the payroll. As an...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Exemptions (15 Dec 2021)

Paschal Donohoe: The position remains as outlined on 20 September 2021 to Deputy Cormac Devlin. Section 469 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 provides for tax relief in respect of qualifying health expenses. Section 469 defines "health expenses" as "expenses in respect of the provision of health care including the services of a practitioner". A practitioner is defined in the section as "any person...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (15 Dec 2021)

Paschal Donohoe: The Covid Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS) is a targeted support for businesses significantly impacted by restrictions introduced by the Government under public health regulations to combat the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. The support is available to companies, self-employed individuals and partnerships who carry on a trade or trading activities, the profits from which are chargeable...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Reliefs (15 Dec 2021)

Paschal Donohoe: Trans-Border Workers’ Relief may apply in the case of an individual resident in the State but who commutes to his or her place of work outside the State. This relief is set out in section 825A of the Taxes Consolidation Act (TCA) 1997. The relief effectively removes the foreign employment income from a liability to Irish tax where foreign tax has been paid on that employment income. In...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Collection (15 Dec 2021)

Paschal Donohoe: The 2021 Climate Action Plan and the Programme for Government set out ambitious commitments for emissions reductions. Road transport is a sector earmarked for radical decarbonisation, and motor vehicle taxation is an important policy lever in achieving these goals. A significant uptake in electric vehicles (EVs) forms a key part of targets on emissions reductions from road transport, and the...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Departmental Policies (15 Dec 2021)

Paschal Donohoe: The Department of Finance has undertaken a range of initiatives across the various divisions during 2021, many of which were in response to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic which has had such a disruptive impact on our economy and national finances. Economics From an economic policy perspective, the main achievements and initiatives in 2021 were the Stability Programme Update, the Summer...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Public Sector Staff (15 Dec 2021)

Paschal Donohoe: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department funds pre-retirement courses for staff planning their retirement. The goal of this 2-day course is to provide participants with an overview of the wide-ranging changes associated with retirement, as well as advice regarding personal retirement planning. Funding is also provided for a guest or family member to attend this training with the staff...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (15 Dec 2021)

Paschal Donohoe: The Government's response to the Covid-19 pandemic has been swift and robust, with a number of schemes created to support businesses and employees since the start of this pandemic. The Government remains fully committed to supporting businesses, employers and employees insofar as is possible at this time. The objective of the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) is to support employment...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Revenue Commissioners (15 Dec 2021)

Paschal Donohoe: I am advised by Revenue that its public offices remain closed in accordance with public health advice in respect of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the situation is kept under constant review in line with guidance. Revenue has also advised me that its telephone helplines remain operational despite the difficulties encountered from the pandemic. Further details on the opening hours for the full...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Code (15 Dec 2021)

Paschal Donohoe: There is no Local Property Tax (LPT) relief for those paying management or apartment fees under the Finance (Local Property Tax) Act 2012 (as amended), though such persons may be entitled to an exemption on other grounds or may qualify for a deferral subject to meeting the qualifying conditions. When a person pays a management fee they receive services such as bin collection, maintenance of...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Banking Sector (15 Dec 2021)

Paschal Donohoe: As the Deputy may be aware, as Minister for Finance I have no role in the commercial decisions made by any bank in the State. This includes banks in which the State has a shareholding. Decisions in this regard, including the management of branch networks, are the sole responsibility of the board and management of the banks, which must be run on an independent and commercial basis. The...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Code (15 Dec 2021)

Paschal Donohoe: As the Deputy will be aware the Commission issued its original proposal to amend a Council directive on the common system of value added tax as regards rates of value added tax on 18 January 2018. The compromise text agreed at ECOFIN has been amended significantly in comparison to the original proposal so the EU Parliament will once again be consulted for their opinion. Once the Parliament...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2021)

Paschal Donohoe: Before I respond to the nature of the recommendation tabled by Senator Higgins, I have a couple of opening points about the State's involvement in the provision of homes. First, it is wrong to suggest that the Government is subcontracting out the need to meet housing needs to the private sector. This year, the State is spending €4.1 billion in either directly building homes itself,...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2021)

Paschal Donohoe: I fundamentally disagree with the Senator's description of housing policy being dictated by the market. Macro-prudential rules are not being dictated by the market. The State spending €4.1 billion on building homes directly or helping to get them built is not being dictated by the market. Senator Casey spoke about work happening in his community. The work Dublin City Council is...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2021)

Paschal Donohoe: We are doing that. That is why we are trying to build more homes. As already stated, the fundamental reason we have house price inflation at these levels is that we are not building enough homes. We need to build more homes and we need to do it more quickly. That is the answer to many of the challenges as regards affordability at the moment. We need to build more homes and, within that,...