Results 121-140 of 406 for speaker:Charlie McCreevy

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Charlie McCreevy: That is right. The issue of Garda numbers was raised. My colleague, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy Michael McDowell, has dealt with that problem. Increased numbers are part of Government policy over five years.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Charlie McCreevy: The Senator can take it that there will not be 2,000 extra gardaí in the next number of years. Is anyone surprised by this? The Government intends to be in office for five years.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Charlie McCreevy: There would be some difficulty in training that number. In regard to transport – the former Minister for Public Enterprise is present – I have come to the conclusion that Senator Mansergh may be correct. Senators may have noticed how our colleague across the water, John Prescott – he is not a particular friend of mine but I sat with him through a dinner one night in the United Kingdom...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Charlie McCreevy: The intention of this recommendation is to double the home carer's tax credit from €770 to €1,540. It is estimated that to increase the credit as proposed would cost in the order of €72 million in the first year and €103 million in a full year. Given the resources available to me in budget 2003, I made only a limited number of changes in the personal tax system at a total cost of...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Charlie McCreevy: I have gone more than half way. The increase of the first year was followed by the same increase in the following two years in which it did not attract the same attention. The figure for the single standard rate band – the more appropriate term – is €29,000. We have discussed the history and the furore on many occasions but it was not individualisation. It is probably better not to use...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Charlie McCreevy: The recommendation seeks to exempt from income tax various types of compensation payments made to employees under the listed provisions in respect of discrimination, harassment, etc. There has been some publicity recently regarding the tax treatment of equality awards. In a recent article in Irish Tax Review it was incorrectly suggested that Revenue had changed its position and was now...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Charlie McCreevy: No.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Charlie McCreevy: These recommendations relate to the enhanced ceiling on mortgage interest payments that qualify for tax relief which is available in the case of first-time buyers. Section 9 proposes that the existing ceilings be increased from €3,175 to €4,000 for single persons and from €6,350 to €8,000 for married and widowed persons. It also extends the period for which the higher amount of relief...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Charlie McCreevy: I mentioned during the debate on the Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003 that when Senator McDowell was a Member of the Lower House, he said he enjoyed reading the tax strategy group's documents because he then knew what I would not do. I accept that the Senator and I differ in relation to the first-time buyer's grant which was not introduced as a sop to house buyers but as a means...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Charlie McCreevy: That is what happens when there is a high level of demand. The abolition of the first-time buyer's grant can be compared to interest rate changes but I do not think it will have the same effect. The new measure is targeted at the individual who will benefit when he or she completes the transaction by signing up for a mortgage and starting to make repayments. The new system which involves tax...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Charlie McCreevy: Senator O'Rourke has given chapter and verse on the subject.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Charlie McCreevy: I have great memories of it.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Charlie McCreevy: The comments the Senator has made encapsulate my views on the subject. The purpose of a tax relief should be to encourage an activity that would not be encouraged otherwise. If it tips the balance in favour of encouraging somebody to engage in such an activity, it should be done. There should be a time limit so as to have the maximum effect. The danger with all tax schemes, as with grant...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Charlie McCreevy: It is not. Some of the reliefs have been in place for over 20 years and it is time to bring them to an end. Those who benefit from focused tax reliefs are high income earners. We produced a report for the Revenue Commissioners indicating that a survey of such earners suggested that some paid only X% of tax while some paid none. That is the downside but the desired economic activity would not...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Charlie McCreevy: An official of mine could help the Senator in that respect. The best tax break, even better than that achieved through the SSIA scheme, is achieved through film tax relief.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Charlie McCreevy: I renewed the relief some years ago and accept that it has had extraordinary benefits. The United Kingdom copied and improved upon some of our provisions.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Charlie McCreevy: There is the downside to it, because some of the Opposition look at all these high income earners not paying any tax. Even in my own party Senator O'Rourke will have heard at party meetings more socialist outpourings than one would ever hear at the Labour Party.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Charlie McCreevy: Before the budget I was asked to cut down reliefs for these high income earners and I said I would oblige. I am closing off all those reliefs by the end of December 2004. I readily accept the merits of tax breaks but the people who benefit from them are high income earners.

Seanad: Benchmarking: Motion. (8 Oct 2003)

Charlie McCreevy: I welcome the amendment put forward by my colleague, Senator Mansergh. This issue was debated fully in the Lower House last week but I welcome the opportunity to outline the Government's position to Senators. The Fine Gael motion asks the Government to break an agreement reached only last January with the social partners, with consequent effects on the continuation of Sustaining Progress and...

Seanad: Benchmarking: Motion. (8 Oct 2003)

Charlie McCreevy: They were to make a list of what they would do in the event of the outbreak of war. In the Department of Finance, as Senator O'Toole should know, the number one item was to suspend the conciliation and arbitration scheme. That is part of the complexity of dealing with public sector pay. As Senator O'Toole, who has operated on behalf of teachers all his working life, would know, if some other...