Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 1:

In page 44, to delete lines 27 to 30.

I wish to speak to amendment No. 1. I will cover the first grouping of amendments and then my colleague, Senator Ó Donnghaile, will take over.

I want to speak about tourism and I raised these concerns on Second Stage. Sinn Féin has tabled amendment No. 1 to essentially delete the section, far too much uncertainty is facing a sector that is only now starting to emerge from lockdown. I have been contacted by many people within the tourism sector who are dismayed at this measure and some of them cannot understand what it is doing as part of a Bill on Brexit. These people are also clear about the impact that these proposed changes would have on their respective businesses. They are adamant that this is another tax on their industry that will negate any financial help the Government says it is providing to the sector in the wake of Covid-19.

Amendment No. 1 deals with the €75 threshold. Such a threshold removes over 50% of transactions and 16% of sales, plus it is linked to a potential loss of 470 jobs in retail. A €75 limit remains a severe measure given our unique dependency on a singular inbound tourist segment, mainly Americans, who historically have a lower average value of transactions, AVTs, across Ireland, in particular along the Wild Atlantic Way. This cohort would struggle to reach the €75 threshold when their starting point is in the region of €30. For such a serious issue, Sinn Féin believes that the approach by the Government has not been good enough.