Pearse Doherty (Sinn Fein)

In his reply, the Minister of State spoke about the proposal to double the exemption. In reality this levy is not in place until the Bill is enacted. The Government is trying to force low and middle-income earners to pay more. These are people caught in a poverty trap. In my Second Stage speech, I outlined the difficulties that many within these brackets face, including increases in the cost of fuel prices, food, home heating, child care and mortgages, which are all leading to a poverty trap. The Government may not realise that people earning less than €37,000 are struggling and should not be burdened with this 1% levy. They are already paying their VAT. The Cabinet has lost touch with the reality of the suffering and hardship people are facing throughout the year, particularly coming up to Christmas and the demands on families. The Government is placing additional burdens on people.

People I meet in my constituency and elsewhere in the State are appalled at some of the excesses at Government level. It is clear the Government does not understand the hardships being felt on the ground. If it did, the Tánaiste would not have her toilet refurbished at a cost of €47,000, nor would she spend nights in Dubai at €811 per night. The Cabinet is completely out of touch and does not understand that people earning up to €37,000 are caught in a poverty trap and should not be subject to this levy. I intend to press the recommendation.