Burton, JoanWednesday, 20 February 2008 |
Select Committee on Finance and the Public Service Debate 
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I apologise for my absence. I had to represent the Labour Party on the Order of Business because the leader, Deputy Gilmore, had to attend a funeral. This issue has been debated in this committee a...
It is important that when the changes come into effect it should be possible for people, other than gardaí, to see at a glance that a car is compliant with the requirements. Many older people are use...
Many immigrants have told me they are offended by some of the bangers one sees that are so dangerous. They tell me that in their home countries strong and immediate action would be taken, but they sa...
I have a general query on the section. In the long term, will this electricity tax be applied to households? They are exempt now but what is likely to happen in the long term? This is the first dir...
The explanatory memorandum states that household use of electricity is exempt from the new tax. Does that mean that public users for the public good, such as schools and hospitals, will be part of th...
Yes.
Is this based on the polluter pays principle?
I shall rephrase my question. The objective of this measure is obviously to impose a tax on electricity generated from emission-producing sources.
If, for instance, as is the case of Ireland, we lack energy production from renewables, an area in which we have done very little—
Compared with most European countries—
—we are lagging far behind.
Renewables do not account for 11% of electricity.
According to recent replies supplied by the Minister and his colleagues, the number of off-licences has increased phenomenally. I understand the figure is currently around 4,500. Will the Minister i...
Perhaps the Minister would give consideration to any changes in policy that he could implement via the Finance Bill before Report Stage? Deputies from all parties have expressed their concern about t...
With due respect to the Minister, we shall take Report Stage the week after next. I am well aware of the technical virtuosity of the Minister and officials in the Department and the Revenue Commissio...
Will the Minister undertake to look at the issue because he would receive all-party support? It is a plague on communities.
They are usually better outlets.
We all have the same objective. A horrible incident occurred in my constituency, following which a young girl died. An adult also died some time later as a result. The incident left a scar on a com...
Chairman, you heard out Deputy Power.
You heard out Deputy Power.
When a shop became free in the neighbourhood shopping centre of this community—
—another off-licence opened for business in it. The local authority was powerless to refuse permission—
What Deputy Power is saying is not quite correct. Communities want to stop the opening of off-licences but do not have the power to do so.
The Minister could assist by making the taxation and charge regime more realistic to stop trays of Dutch Gold being sold for next to nothing, particularly at weekends, in the Dublin area.
Is the Minister addressing the principal concerns expressed in the submission by car hire groups and various individuals from the car hire sector?
Has the Minister calculated the revenue implications of this move? I have raised on a couple of occasions the issue of avoidance structures, which have become notorious. From these amendments it see...
The Minister said he might give us an indication of the loss to the Exchequer, even if it was not significant. There was considerable talk last year of developers and builders who were building on th...
That is appreciated.
Will the Minister briefly explain this section or send Members a note on it if the explanation is very long?
Will the Minister provide examples of the type of assets where a distinction is made between private and non-business purposes? Does this refer to assets such as houses, cars, yachts, paintings and s...
Just buildings.
As this is an anti-fraud section, will the Minister indicate whether this was a significant problem? What type of transactions or issues in particular is he talking about?
What of hanging baskets?
The Minister received representations from many people, including one of the sons of a former Deputy, who bought houses on the strength of the Minister’s commitment in his budget speech of 2006 that t...
I thank the Minister for recounting his justification for effectively reversing what he said in the debate and in the budget presentation in 2006. The people to whom I refer are a relatively small gr...
Started by a Minister in the Deputy’s own Government.
This is ridiculous.
Nothing is selling.
The Deputy should talk to some auctioneers if he believes that is the case.
Can I ask Deputy Andrews where in Dublin South-East one can find these wonderful affordable houses? I will bring a bus load of people over to see them. In Dublin West developers are dropping house p...
I support this suggestion and I raised the issue previously with regard to specific cases, for example, when parents need to move to accommodate disabled children and there are significant tax implica...
Parents today may wish to look after a child at home when in the past he or she might have gone to an institution.
Can the Minister explain whether this relates to the four-year time limit on claiming repayments of tax that was overpaid on capital acquisitions tax? This issue arose with regard to PAYE refunds tha...
Do I understand that, irrespective of this change, the period for repayment of overpayments broadly remains at four years?
Why do we have a four year limit for reclaiming overpayments when there is no such time limit for Revenue claiming underpayments? Correctly, Revenue can go after people for an indefinite period.
A solicitor will normally deal with this issue rather than a tax adviser. What happens in a case where a solicitor has not acted properly?
I do not know if the Minister’s approach will work, but I would be interested to know whether the Minister obtained the opinion of the Attorney General as to its likely success. The money involved in...
That is incorrect.
It is actually not.
No, it is not.
It is not correct.
In respect of the questions I asked the Minister, has the Attorney General given advice on this matter? Has the Minister either considered or met the leading practitioners in this regard, namely, the...
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