John Gerard Hanafin (Fianna Fail)

I would like to have a debate on the disparity in tax rates between the North of Ireland and the Republic, particularly now that the value of sterling has fallen by a third in the past year. There is a huge moral hazard for people who might get involved in illegal transactions for carbon fuels or other items and will wear a republican or paramilitary hat to justify their existence. These gangsters will be back on our streets if we do not dovetail the tax rates in the Republic with those in the North of Ireland to deal with the large disparities between them. Under the terms of the Anglo-Irish Agreement we should go to the British Government and ensure every month that there is no disparity between the rates at which people can purchase goods in the North of Ireland and the Republic because we are leaving ourselves open to difficulties down the line.