Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I was petrified before today's budget, to be honest. While I will not pretend I know the entire detail of it, I believe it is quite a smart budget and it shows the man has drilled down and thought about it. It is clearly a "Get us back to work" budget. The SME emphasis is most welcome. Given how the domestic market has been flat, if we are to get our domestic economy back up and running, we need our SMEs working.

I have just come back from China, where I could see why our exports are thriving and how good a job Enterprise Ireland is doing in China and south-east Asia. It was absolutely vibrant and positive but we need to get that same confidence back into our domestic market. I like to hear of initiatives such as the Plus One initiative, whereby employers will be encouraged to hire one long-term unemployed person.

The diesel rebate is very welcome. How many times have I and others stood up here and spoken about this? This will not just help our hauliers, who have been put at a strong competitive disadvantage by those who were illegally laundering and going abroad to fill up, but it will improve the cost of living for every one of us because transport increases the price of goods, and everything we buy depends on transport and the cost of diesel. At long last, this has been done.

I welcome the extension of section 481, which is good for the film industry and particularly good for Galway, which is a great hub for film. I am delighted because film is about our creativity and our imagination as well as about tourism.

The exemption from property tax for new home buyers from 2013 to 2016 is very smart. We have to help people get in there and get their first home. There has to be some incentive given mortgage interest relief is running out at the end of this month, although I disagree with that.

The measure in regard to pension withdrawals from AVCs is very smart and will put cash flow back into the domestic economy. I like the fact the Minister, Deputy Noonan, is now saying he must focus on the domestic economy.

My main concerns are around the property tax. We need to know a little more about the valuation guidance.