Results 7,941-7,960 of 16,537 for speaker:Brian Lenihan Jnr

Irish Economy: Motion (17 Feb 2009)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: It is about responsibility for problems. Problems are about the responsibilities——

Irish Economy: Motion (17 Feb 2009)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: ——that all of us owe to this country, to do our best in difficult circumstances.

Irish Economy: Motion (17 Feb 2009)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: Throughout the month of January, we sought to reach an agreement with the social partners on an approach to manage the challenges we now face. We did achieve agreement on the scale of the problem facing us and on the need to take urgent and radical action to restore stability to the public finances. We were criticised for engaging with the social partners. The Deputies opposite argued that...

Irish Economy: Motion (17 Feb 2009)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: Unfortunately, the unions were not in a position to agree to our proposals for addressing the difficulties and in the end, the Government, as we said we would, took the decisions that we believe are in the best interests of this country. We know the pension levy will impose a burden on public service workers and their families.

Irish Economy: Motion (17 Feb 2009)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: Many of my constituents are public service workers and I know the challenges they face. I know how hard they have to work. However, it is in everyone's interest that we deal responsibly with the problems we face and protect this country's future prospects. The steps we are taking now, together with the framework for recovery published before Christmas, plan a way forward to restore us to...

Irish Economy: Motion (17 Feb 2009)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: Yet in the motion it has tabled, it wants to go on talking, amending and fine-tuning. The truth is the Labour Party has no alternative proposal. Putting our finances in order to inspire investor confidence and——

Irish Economy: Motion (17 Feb 2009)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: ——cutting our cost base so that we are in a position to compete when the world economy recovers are strategies beyond a party whose only plan is to borrow and tax our way out of this downturn.

Irish Economy: Motion (17 Feb 2009)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: Nothing has changed for the Labour Party since the 1980s. After a brief two and half year period of grown up political behaviour in the 1990s, the Labour Party has returned to a position of economic delinquency.

Irish Economy: Motion (17 Feb 2009)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The Labour Party tabled this motion.

Irish Economy: Motion (17 Feb 2009)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: A few months ago, its former leader, Deputy Quinn, told an interviewer it was not his function to outline a way forward for this country.

Irish Economy: Motion (17 Feb 2009)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: A couple of weeks ago, Deputy Gilmore refused to outline an alternative to the expenditure measures proposed by this side of the House.

Irish Economy: Motion (17 Feb 2009)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: Then belatedly, last Saturday, in a column in a daily newspaper, a strategy emerged——

Irish Economy: Motion (17 Feb 2009)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: Nearly two thirds of the Labour Party's proposed €2 billion in savings are, in effect, tax increases which will impact widely on a weakened economy. Several of the actions proposed by the Labour Party have already been taken into account by the Government and are in the 2009 Estimates and the revenue pencilled in for some of the measures is highly speculative. For example, where does one...

Irish Economy: Motion (17 Feb 2009)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The real figure for this saving is now estimated by my Department at €85 million.

Irish Economy: Motion (17 Feb 2009)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: From where is the figure of €175 million for full tax rates on tax exiles plucked? As I understand it, if someone resides outside the country one cannot levy tax on him or her. I took the opportunity in last year's Finance Bill to abolish the rule that anyone could maintain that he or she was not in Ireland on one day because he or she left before midnight. This rule was abolished in the...

Irish Economy: Motion (17 Feb 2009)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: Are we talking about the 1% of all income tax earners whose income is more than €200,000? These earners contribute 20% of the total tax yield. Are we talking about the 3% who earn more than €150,000? They contribute 28% of the tax yield. Are we talking about the 9% who earn more than €100,000 because they contribute 47% of the entire tax take. Let us consider the income levy we...

Irish Economy: Motion (17 Feb 2009)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: Those on low incomes pay least and those on the minimum wage pay nothing at all. That is not to say that we will not have to raise taxes. The Government has already indicated several times that we need to broaden the tax base and that increased taxation will have to form part of our return to fiscal stability. Equally we have said and many commentators agree that now is not the time to...

Irish Economy: Motion (17 Feb 2009)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: It was and is open to the Labour Party to make a submission to the commission. We have no intention of returning to the bad old days of tax rates of 65%. We have more ambitions for this country and its citizens.

Irish Economy: Motion (17 Feb 2009)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: We do not want to mire us all in mediocrity——

Irish Economy: Motion (17 Feb 2009)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: ——and to treat the past 20 years as some kind of aberration. A great deal of the contribution from the other side of the House is to suggest that the past 20 years were some kind of aberration and that we can return to the land of happy misery. This is not the case.