Seanad debates
Wednesday, 26 March 2003
Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages.
Senator Mansergh asked about the areas of public spending in respect of which people would have had me make cutbacks in the past five years. I recall hearing demands on the radio every morning from politicians and lobby groups for greater spending in their areas. People wanted more changes in taxation at every level to reduce the top rate and to take people out of the system at the bottom. All of that was done. I increased spending when we had the resources. During the lifetime of the previous Administration, the economy grew by roughly 50% which is something that has been achieved by no other country in the developed world in recent economic history. The population began to increase and we experienced the problems of immigration rather than of emigration.
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