John Paul Phelan (Fine Gael)

I will take it as ten minutes.

I move amendment No. 1:

To delete all words after "Seanad Éireann" and substitute the following:

—urges the Minister for Finance to take steps to reverse the huge increase in the tax burden imposed on workers and businesses by his predecessor;

—accepts that reductions in the rate of PAYE have been offset by a failure to widen tax bands in recent budgets;

—notes that those on the national minimum wage continue to pay tax, despite repeated promises to the contrary;

—notes that there are now 632,000 persons paying tax at the top rate, representing more than half of all taxpayers, and representing an increase of 55% in the number paying at the top rate of tax since 1997;

—urges the Minister for Finance to end the practice of excessive stealth tax increases;

—condemns the Government for implementing, or failing to prevent the imposition of 32 stealth taxes since 2002;

—condemns the Government for failing to meet the promise, as set out in the programme for Government to 'keep down personal and business taxes', a failure that has eroded our competitiveness and led to the creation of rip-off Ireland;

—notes that Ireland has become the most expensive country in the EU thanks to the failure to limit Government charges, reduce taxes and control inflation;

—notes that it was the rainbow Government that first introduced the 12.5% corporation tax rate and left the Fianna Fáil-PD Administration with an economy growing at a record rate and where 1,000 new jobs were being created every week;

—calls for an end to policies where the gap between rich and poor has widened to record levels; and

—rejects the approach of the Government, which has seen huge increases in spending and insufficient corresponding public sector reform, thus providing little or no improvement in frontline services, particularly in areas such as health.

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I acknowledge Senator Fitzgerald's statement that he had not read the amendment. His colleague, Senator Mansergh, commented on the amendment but obviously did not read the motion because his remarks scarcely referred to the items contained in it.