The Minister decided not to increase direct taxes or capital taxes in the budget, but rather chose to make increases in indirect taxation. His colleagues have also decided to permit increases in charges that are the direct responsibility of the State. I refer here to the TV licence fee or gas and electricity charges. This has all quite deliberately added to inflation and thus avoided any increases in direct taxation or capital taxes. There are times when I might support that kind of approach, but, at a time when the competitiveness of the economy is under threat, I think it is a mistake. We may well live to regret it.