Emer Currie (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am out of breath from running down the stairs. I welcome the extension of the temporary Covid-19 waiver for Republic of Ireland cross-border workers in the context of the transborder workers' relief. If it were not for that extension, Republic of Ireland workers were going to be facing a cliff edge in terms of double taxation. They were being told that from a public health advice perspective they had to work from home, but the tax rules stated they had to go to the office or face a financial penalty. Although it is a positive step, it is not a permanent one. I am seeking reassurance that the issue is still on the Government's agenda and that it will find some sort of permanent fix for this issue. The language at the moment is that it is an emergency measure and will not be addressed in the long term. We know the culture of work has permanently changed. I do not think cross-border workers should be left behind in that regard. The tax strategy group examined the issue and referred to equity. I believe the report focused on the problems rather than the solutions. One of the problems it identified was the question of why would one household have access to a different set of tax levels to another household. Why should certain households have access to flexibility and quality of life while others do not? Did the group look at pay and pay levels as well? It referred to competition and stated that it would make it more attractive to work for employers outside the State. In my view, we should not be in competition with the North; we should be in harmony with it. We should be doing everything we can to encourage an all-island economy and reducing the barriers, not overseeing new ones. We need to think about this in terms of investment in areas that need it, such as areas that we know have been economically vulnerable through the years. If we can come up with solutions such as the protocol where there is dual market access in the North, can we not find a solution here? Is there a scheme that could be introduced? I am seeking reassurance and creativity. The message needs to go out that we are committed to finding a solution for cross-border workers and having no barriers North and South.