Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The sacrifices of the people of Ireland along with the political leadership of the last Government and this Government have brought our country to a better place than when we took office. This budget may not be perfect but we are not going back to the days of boom and bloom, to borrow a famous phrase from a former Minister for Finance, former Deputy Ray MacSharry. If one looks at the proposals put forward in the alternative Sinn Féin budget, one sees that it would tax those who work, tax those who employ and would put this country in hock forever.