Rose Conway Walsh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for wading through the budget on our behalf. This is a missed opportunity. The budget fails to address the inequality and unfairness that prevails across the country, whether in housing, health or other services on which people depend. The absence of a single line addressed to those who have been affected by pyrite and whose houses are crumbling around them is also a missed opportunity. The Bill also fails because it enables the banks to avoid paying tax on vast profits for a further 20 years. The budget could have required them to pay tax and closed some of the tax loopholes that allow many multinational companies to get away with not paying tax. The budget could have addressed these matters and resulted in a more equal distribution of wealth. For this reason, Sinn Féin cannot support the Bill as it stands.