Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I was struck by the words of Senator Colm Burke who said the Government has created 70,000 jobs. Let us clarify that: it is the entrepreneurial men and women of Ireland who have created the 70,000 jobs, against all the odds. Ireland is in a poor position in terms of tax competitiveness. We are 93rd in the world, by comparison with United Kingdom, our nearest neighbour, which is 33rd in the world. Let us not forget part of the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland, is only 60 miles up the road.

I have been speaking to entrepreneurs. A female entrepreneur said to me the other evening that if she sells her software business here, she will have to pay capital gains tax at a rate of 40%. She asked me what I believed she would do with it and whether she would reinvest it here. She said she absolutely would not invest it here and would instead go to Northern Ireland where she would benefit from more attractive measures.

The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Richard Bruton, and the Taoiseach should wake up to the reality of competition that could siphon away our small and medium enterprises, which we all recognise across the Houses and the country are the lifeblood of the economy and are needed for employment. They are needed to put money into the coffers so we can have social protection. Let us become tax competitive. Everybody needs money in their pocket right now. There is almost anarchy on our streets because people are at a tipping point. Let us wake up to this. It is not right that Prime Minister David Cameron's Government in the United Kingdom can offer six months' free rent and free rates to small enterprises while we do not. When we got strong on foreign direct investment, Prime Minister David Cameron was very quick to put us back in our box, so much so that we have had to come up with a knowledge box in this country and address the double Irish. Let us have a real action plan and jobs. Let us get tax competitive and put money back into the people's pockets here so everybody can benefit and so we can remain the best small country in the world in which to do business.