Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I absolutely agree with the congratulations to Katie Taylor, who is an excellent ambassador for Ireland, for women and for Irish sport. I am not surprised that so many people on the Government side seem to see her as a patron saint these days. To judge by the shifting of offices going on within Fine Gael, they will be doing very well to get to five years in a row. In recognition of Katie's achievements, people on the Government side are looking on enviously at the prospect of five years in a row.

I wish to second the amendment to the Order of Business proposed by my colleague, Senator Crown, to the effect that the Minister for Health attend the House.

I also endorse what he said about Asia Bibi, a simple labouring person who dared to speak up for her faith and now finds herself sentenced to death in Pakistan. It is really important that Ireland speak up for people who are persecuted for their faith and beliefs, wherever they are in the world. Christian minorities in particular are under terrible pressure in the world today.

I ask the Leader to arrange for the Minister for Finance to attend the House to address the widespread confusion around a particular proposed change to capital acquisitions tax in the Finance Bill. Section 82, which provides that money paid by a parent for the support, maintenance or education of a child will not be considered as a gift or inheritance for tax purposes where it would be considered normal expenditure of a person in the parent's circumstances and is reasonable having regard to the financial circumstances of a parent. It is proposed to change this and cap it so that payments by a parent to an adult child above the €3,000 annual small gift exemption threshold could be liable to tax. I realise that the Revenue Commissioners are concerned about abuses, but frankly these new limits would mean that adult children who are not under 25 and in full-time education would no longer be able to argue that a wedding or holiday gift was a way for their parents to support or maintain them. Once the gift is over a certain value, therefore, tax bills could arise. So-called dig-outs given to adult children in financial distress would attract the Revenue Commissioners' gimlet eye. The new proposed limits are a sledgehammer to deal with a perceived problem.