Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
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84. To ask the Minister for Finance in relation to the recommendations of the Commission of Taxation report in 2009, if he will indicate which have been implemented; if he will list which recommendations his Department will not be implementing or have yet to implement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36008/13]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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The Report of the Commission has been a significant element in the framing of the Budgets and Finance Acts introduced by this Government. However the Deputy should note that it is only one element, albeit an important one, in the policy making process. Therefore I would draw his attention to the papers of the Tax Strategy Group, published every year on my Department's tax policy website, .

The Papers relating to Budget 2013 have just been published and include a specific Paper on tax incentives and expenditures which focusses very much on the recommendations of the Commission in relation to tax expenditures. This Paper outlines the significant progress made in an area of particular concern to the Commission, which made over one hundred recommendations here.

Many other recommendations made by the Commission have contributed to the changes to taxation policy introduced by this Government and I would remind the Deputy that Ireland has been consistently assessed highly by the OECD for the progressivity of our taxation system. In a PQ reply it is impractical to list all the measures introduced since the advent of this Government but some of the key developments include:

- The introduction of a Carbon Tax;

- The introduction of a Residential Property Tax;

- The maintenance of the Corporation Tax rate;

- Additional support for economic activity and-

- Measures to combat the shadow economy.

All of these are in line with Commission recommendations.