Michael Comiskey (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House; it is good to have him here with us again. Like my colleagues, I welcome the fact that the troika will be leaving very shortly, which is good news for all of us, and it is great that we will have our sovereignty returned as we approach Christmas. I hope it will give people a boost so that they will go out and do a bit of shopping. My colleagues have welcomed VAT rate changes in the tourism sector, and the decision to keep the rate at 9% has been welcomed across the board. That has done much for the sector, and representatives have been in touch to tell us how they welcome the retention of the 9% rate. It will provide a major boost.

I welcome the introduction of the home renovation grant, which is a very positive move. This is something I have spoken about for quite a long time, along with a number of colleagues. It will give small builders, mainly in rural Ireland but also in towns and villages, an incentive and allow them to take on employees. I would like to see the scheme extended to cover landscaping projects or cases in which people have trouble with a septic tank and may not qualify for the grant available for repairs, for example. Such an extension would be positive, and many septic tanks are manufactured in Ireland and supplied and fitted by local people. If people could reclaim VAT through a tax incentive, it would bring about a major boost, create jobs and improve the environment. I have spoken about this with the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Hogan, on a number of occasions and I have also mentioned it to the Minister for Finance, Deputy Noonan. Perhaps the issue could be considered.

There may be retired people who wish to improve their houses but are in a difficult position because they may not be able to afford the work. A number of people have told me they are disappointed they cannot get any incentive in this regard, so perhaps such cases could be examined. There is a grant available through the warmer homes initiative, for example, but perhaps an incentive could be given where there is major work to be done to a roof or windows and the people involved are not in the tax sphere.

We should consider changes to vehicle taxation. In some cases people have two vehicles, with one for transport to work and another for working on a farm, for example, such as a jeep for towing trailers. Privately taxing such a jeep or van would cost approximately €1,500, but if it could be taxed commercially the amount would be €300 or €400. The vehicle could be used to take children to school as well as being used on a farm to pull trailers and related work. It would be a major help in a household if it could be used to take children to school and so on.