James Bannon (Fine Gael)

——awash with money, I would like to have the Minister for Finance invited to the House to debate the issue of charities being charged VAT for essential expenditure. For example, the Longford Association for the Mentally Handicapped pointed out at its annual general meeting yesterday that it paid a whopping €157,000 in VAT last year when it was attempting to equip its unit with essential equipment. This is shameful and disgraceful at a time when the country is awash with money and when so many volunteers are involved in trying to raise funds to keep organisations going day to day.