Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move recommendation No. 19:

In page 74, between lines 3 and 4, to insert the following: “Report on establishment of Wealth Tax Commission

47. The Minister shall, within 3 months of the passing of this Act, prepare and lay before Dáil Éireann a report on the establishment of a Wealth Tax Commission to independently consider, having regard to the current taxation of wealth relative to labour, the merits, design and implementation of a net wealth tax.”.

I will speak very briefly to the recommendation. Here, we are calling for a report on the establishment of a wealth tax commission. We are back to ideological differences, I suspect. I am always intrigued by the fact that while both Fine Gael and its sister party, Fianna Fáil, always resolutely oppose a wealth tax, they never actually agree to even having it investigated to see whether it is justified or worthwhile. We in Sinn Féin believe passionately that a wealth tax is not only justified but very necessary. There is a small segment of people in this society paying little or no tax and they are among the wealthiest people in our society. The Minister of State can feel free to disagree with us but our point is, why not establish this report, look into it and see what the level of wealth is. There has been a consistent ideological refusal by the Department of Finance for many years. It would take a fundamental change in Government for this to happen. Sinn Féin firmly believes that, in the context of tax justice, there should be a wealth tax.