Results 11,761-11,780 of 35,639 for speaker:Pearse Doherty

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2019: Committee Stage (5 Nov 2019)

Pearse Doherty: I move amendment No. 16: In page 20, between lines 24 and 25, to insert the following: “Report on income tax relief 17.The Minister shall, within 6 months of the passing of this Act, prepare and lay before Dáil Éireann a report on an income tax relief equivalent in value to one month’s rent of an individual available to all renters not already in receipt of any...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2019: Committee Stage (5 Nov 2019)

Pearse Doherty: If the Minister accepts all my positions, those reasons disappear. The Minister made a point about rent increases going right up to the RPZ caps but I said that there is no point in bringing in a measure such as this unless a rent freeze is also introduced. It is of little comfort for those who are paying an average of €1,713 per month in Dublin, or in excess of €2,000 in some...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2019: Committee Stage (5 Nov 2019)

Pearse Doherty: There is no point talking about the 4% cap because rents are increasing at a rate of 7% annually even in RPZs. This has been discussed on numerous occasions at various committees and in the Dáil by myself and others with regard to the ways around the 4%. This committee relies on verifiable statistics. Rents are increasing at 7% annually. The Minister argued that a temporary rent...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2019: Committee Stage (5 Nov 2019)

Pearse Doherty: I did not say the Minister did.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2019: Committee Stage (5 Nov 2019)

Pearse Doherty: I did not.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2019: Committee Stage (5 Nov 2019)

Pearse Doherty: I did not.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2019: Committee Stage (5 Nov 2019)

Pearse Doherty: Yes, I did not say the Minister did.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2019: Committee Stage (5 Nov 2019)

Pearse Doherty: I am not arguing for refundable tax credits throughout the tax code and I am not arguing that Revenue has the capacity to do it; I am arguing for one relief. The Minister makes the valid point that if we make a tax credit refundable in one area, there would be an expectation other areas. I am sure every PAYE worker will have an expectation that the Minister should exempt one third of their...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2019: Committee Stage (5 Nov 2019)

Pearse Doherty: I am.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2019: Committee Stage (5 Nov 2019)

Pearse Doherty: It is factual.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2019: Committee Stage (5 Nov 2019)

Pearse Doherty: I brought SARP into the discussion to help to explain that there would be a legitimate expectation on the part of PAYE workers if they knew what Minister has done. I will say it to his face that he is making decisions that will benefit the elite; I would not say it behind his back if I was not willing to say it to his face. Of course, that is what happening with section 8 of the Bill. It...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2019: Committee Stage (5 Nov 2019)

Pearse Doherty: Deputy Michael McGrath has raised a valid point. I hear the Minister's concerns on the matter. In the real world many people go to the physiotherapist for necessary treatment but do not go through a GP. Requiring them to go through a GP costs them €40, €50 or €60 depending on which part of the country the person is in. That is the cost simply to be referred for...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2019: Committee Stage (5 Nov 2019)

Pearse Doherty: A person can obtain relief if he or she visits a physiotherapist but only if he or she is referred by a GP. If we believe - I am using the word "we" loosely - relief should be available for a visit to a physiotherapist, we should not put barriers in seeking it. The Minister has acknowledged that no one is going to self-refer to a physiotherapist and pay 80% of the cost in order to get 20%...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2019: Committee Stage (5 Nov 2019)

Pearse Doherty: It includes GP care, dental treatment and so on. I do not imagine that we are talking about a huge amount, but there is a barrier. As the Minister knows, people go to their physiotherapist. Some will not, but others, particularly those who are active or involved in sport, will go directly to their physiotherapist. This is red tape.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2019: Committee Stage (5 Nov 2019)

Pearse Doherty: The Chairman tried to pull a fast one.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2019: Committee Stage (5 Nov 2019)

Pearse Doherty: I will not speak at length about this section. I note that we are extending another tax relief through the living city initiative which has been bedevilled by delays and changes. Initially it applied to two areas and Georgian buildings only. It was then extended to six areas and all pre-1915 buildings were made eligible. The commercial element was removed and it was made available to...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2019: Committee Stage (5 Nov 2019)

Pearse Doherty: I have no problem with the inclusion of the three agencies in Schedule 4 to the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997, but why is the tax status of Enterprise Ireland being backdated to 23 July 1998? This measure exempts State bodies from taxation and we are backdating it by 20 years. Moreover, why were the agencies not added to the Schedule before now? Why were they not added by way of a statutory...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2019: Committee Stage (5 Nov 2019)

Pearse Doherty: Very well.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2019: Committee Stage (5 Nov 2019)

Pearse Doherty: Will the Minister circulate the note he has read in order that we will be able to read it before Report Stage?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance Bill 2019: Committee Stage (5 Nov 2019)

Pearse Doherty: While I welcome the increase in the dividend withholding tax and the Minister is aware that I argued for the introduction of the tax in previous Finance Bills, it is very clear that many companies are not paying at the rate of 20%, as legislated for. I believe the Minister is on record as saying the average figure is about 15% on small holdings. We know that as a result of double taxation...