David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am speaking to the section. I put it to the Minister of State that he has not given us any indication of the level of charge that will be imposed on people. Families have no idea how much this will cost them. Senator Barrett in a previous debate today mentioned the figure of €750. The Minister of State said it would not be anything like that figure, therefore, he should give us some indication as to what it will be like and then explain to us again in detail how its will be calculated in a fair and progressive way and how low income families will be protected. He should at least give families some idea of the bill they will be expected to pay on top of the property tax next year. I have not heard the answer to that question up to now. We have heard broad discussions about how he will do his best to protect low income families and broad strokes but we have heard no detail. For him to say he has given us detail is a nonsense. I give the Minister of State the opportunity again to set the record straight and to explain the position to families who, when they learn more about this, will be asking all of us how much this will cost them in their pockets. However, I am not in a position to tell them because we have not been given that information by the Minister of State.