Results 17,181-17,200 of 35,756 for speaker:Pearse Doherty

Finance Bill 2017: Report Stage (Resumed) (22 Nov 2017)

Pearse Doherty: I said that it is not anti-jobs to raise issues regarding corporation tax and the first thing the Minister did was to accuse us of being anti-jobs. That is the problem. That is the kind of thing that says, in effect, that we should keep quiet and not raise issues. The vast majority of companies in this State, including multinational companies, pay their fair share of tax in terms of the...

Finance Bill 2017: Report Stage (Resumed) (22 Nov 2017)

Pearse Doherty: One is not being unpatriotic if one raises issues regarding how this State of ours is allowing multinational corporations to use it as their next tax loophole. One is not being unpatriotic when pointing out, time and again, that the State is facilitating tax avoidance. Perhaps the Minister has reasons to do that; I am sure he does. My point is not just about what the two Deputies have...

Finance Bill 2017: Report Stage (Resumed) (22 Nov 2017)

Pearse Doherty: I welcomed the commitment that the Minister of State gave us on Committee Stage when I tabled amendments on REITs and funds, particularly with regard to the issue of non-household buyers of which REITs and funds make up a major part. I understood that text would have been provided to us at some stage outlining exactly what was agreed. I ask that such text be provided at some stage just so...

Finance Bill 2017: Report Stage (Resumed) (22 Nov 2017)

Pearse Doherty: I will finish on this point.

Finance Bill 2017: Report Stage (Resumed) (22 Nov 2017)

Pearse Doherty: That is why I am going to finish on this point.

Finance Bill 2017: Report Stage (Resumed) (22 Nov 2017)

Pearse Doherty: With respect, I ask the Ceann Comhairle to let me finish my sentence.

Finance Bill 2017: Report Stage (Resumed) (22 Nov 2017)

Pearse Doherty: While I am not asking for individual company's tax details to be provided, it is very clear because there are only three and we can see the dividend withholding tax paid, their accounts are published and we can see the profits recorded within them.

Finance Bill 2017: Report Stage (Resumed) (22 Nov 2017)

Pearse Doherty: I welcome the two amendments. We have discussed this at the finance committee. I have been raising the matter for a considerable period. I will say it again: the Minister needs to open his eyes to what is happening around him. I have told him time and again. I have been banging this drum for well over a year now in respect of what has happened in the property market. We can talk...

Finance Bill 2017: Report Stage (Resumed) (22 Nov 2017)

Pearse Doherty: Do I take it that unrealised profits or gains recognised in the income statements now are exempt from dividend withholding tax if that is unrealised for the period of five years? I take it that is the case. Therefore, a person did not actually have to dispose of the asset to be able to avail of the dividend withholding tax. Obviously, however, the other provisions would have applied then...

Finance Bill 2017: Report Stage (Resumed) (22 Nov 2017)

Pearse Doherty: Unrealised profits or gains dated prior to 1 January 2019 will not be subject to dividend withholding tax because of the start date. Is there now an accountancy trick where they can realise them within their accounts?

Finance Bill 2017: Report Stage (Resumed) (22 Nov 2017)

Pearse Doherty: This is a technical amendment but one that could have some significance. We will not be able to tease it out in great detail as I will be able to come in on it on only two occasions, though I note the Leas-Cheann Comhairle is being a bit more flexible as the night moves on.

Finance Bill 2017: Report Stage (Resumed) (22 Nov 2017)

Pearse Doherty: Will the Minister explain the addition of unrealised profits or gains recognised in the income statements? What will that mean in practical terms for the accounts in respect of the dividend withholding tax? What would be the position if this amendment were not to be tabled?

Finance Bill 2017: Report Stage (Resumed) (22 Nov 2017)

Pearse Doherty: I was not questioning the integrity of the Deputy. I was questioning his sincerity in pursuing this issue by putting it to a vote. He has his own excuses for that, and that is for him to decide.

Finance Bill 2017: Report Stage (Resumed) (22 Nov 2017)

Pearse Doherty: I genuinely believe that this issue, which is forcing house prices upwards, is putting house ownership beyond a generation. People who are younger than me tell me that they will never aspire to own their own houses because of how property prices are at this point in time. It only suits one cohort of individuals, and that is the developers. I put it to the Minister of State that he is...

Finance Bill 2017: Report Stage (Resumed) (22 Nov 2017)

Pearse Doherty: My views on the help-to-buy scheme have been long on the record. The Government introduced it without carrying out any assessment of its effectiveness and the goalposts have been shifted time and again as to why it was introduced. Originally, it was to help individuals gather their deposit but then the Central Bank pulled the rug from under the Government and changed the rules. We now see...

Finance Bill 2017: Report Stage (Resumed) (22 Nov 2017)

Pearse Doherty: We are all on the same page. We have argued for this for quite a long time. We have always said that there is a lot of detail in it and there could be many unintended consequences. I welcome the fact that there will be a report on it. I referred to a nine-month period. The Bill will pass into law in December, and nine months would take us to next August or September. This needs to be...

Finance Bill 2017: Report Stage (Resumed) (22 Nov 2017)

Pearse Doherty: I move amendment No. 23:In page 20, between lines 22 and 23, to insert the following: “13.The Minister shall within 1 month of the passing of this Act, prepare and lay before Dáil Éireann a report considering the merits of a Vacant Home Tax.”. A couple of weeks ago, we had a good debate on this issue on Committee Stage. I argued strongly that we needed to introduce a...

Finance Bill 2017: Report Stage (Resumed) (22 Nov 2017)

Pearse Doherty: It is a good precedent because it is in law. If there had even been a commitment on Committee Stage, I do not think the Minister would have had to put this into the Finance Bill because we take his word on these issues. However, there was no commitment and the Minister argued very strongly that, because of the complexity of the issue, he would not go ahead with it. Unfortunately, I was...

Finance Bill 2017: Report Stage (Resumed) (22 Nov 2017)

Pearse Doherty: I am not convinced by this amendment and think that it could be abused. There would also be an issue of fairness in the context of cut-off dates and so forth. While I am willing to hear more on it, I would be very interested to know if there is any estimate of what this would cost to implement. The amount of property acquired between 2002 and 2008 in this country was substantial, given...

Finance Bill 2017: Report Stage (Resumed) (22 Nov 2017)

Pearse Doherty: My question referred to a widget company building a gym.