Pearse Doherty

What about public consultation?

3. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance to outline his approach to excise duty on fuel from the end of July. [48239/26]

I am trying to get to the bottom of what the Minister's intentions are for excise duty. Last week, he passed the Finance Bill in the House, and that Bill will see the price of diesel increased by 32 cent and the price of petrol increased by 27 cent. That is just a number of weeks away, on 1 August. People are aghast at the idea that in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis prices would rise again…

I am well aware of the legislation, the 1920s Act which requires financial resolutions to be put into primary legislation within four months. The reality is that the Government last week voted against deferring the increase until budget day. As things currently stand in Irish tax law, diesel will go up by 32 cent and petrol will go up by 27 cent in August. The Dáil is only sitting for another thre…

First of all, that does not provide the clarity that is needed. This is not as simple as the Tánaiste said, which was that this was putting the resolution into primary legislation.

It is not.

The Government voted against delaying this measure until budget day. It voted against not increasing costs on 1 August. That is what happened last week. The Tánaiste was not here, was he?

Perhaps the Tánaiste was not here. Let us be clear: that was what the vote was last week. Amendments were put down to defer this measure until budget day for consideration so that these increases would not happen when the Dáil was on holidays. If the Government decides to increase the costs of petrol and diesel, even if it decides that they will only go up by 20 cent, we do not know what is going …

There was a vote on the amendment.

Is the Dáil going to sit?

Sorry, is the Dáil sitting on 1 August?

Perhaps the Tánaiste will clarify. Is the Dáil now going to sit? Is this the Government announcing that the Dáil will be sitting on 1 August to respond?

Is that what the Tánaiste is going to say?

5. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance his views on the most appropriate way to deliver a fair tax package for workers that ensures an equitable distribution of the benefit. [48240/26]

The Tánaiste has made it public that he plans to bring forward tax cuts in this year's budget after leaving workers worse off in last year's budget. That is according not only to Sinn Féin but also to the Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI. In the election campaign, the Government parties promised to bring forward tax cuts every year and broke that promise to workers and families. The fa…

When Fine Gael has brought forward tax packages, they have always been two-tier tax packages, which means those on the higher end benefit more than those on the lower end. About half of the workforce benefits far more than the other half. A worker on €50,000 gets a tax cut multiple times larger than a worker on €40,000. I understand the challenges in adjusting tax bands and adjusting for inflation…

-----got far less than they should have.

I am not dismissing anything. What I am saying is that the Government has consistently brought forward tax packages that are two-tier. For example, the Tánaiste talked about the entry point to the higher rate. If that is focused on instead of USC or tax credits, there will be winners and losers. The winners will be the half of the population who earn more than €44,000 and the losers will be those …

-----that the first €45,000 of income should be exempt from USC. That can be started in an emergency budget.

It should be followed up in the October budget. These types of measures benefit all workers as opposed to a proposal that will benefit only some.

I am not looking for another budget. I am looking for one.

Of course there is a legitimate policy debate. That is what we are having.

Now you are interrupting me.

That is the debate we are having. The reality is that some people win out more than others. That is also the reality. Let us not pretend that does not exist. What I am saying is the best way to deal with it is through the USC. The people who earn €60,000 or €70,000 would benefit along with the people who earn €30,000 or €40,000, rather than if the Government overly focuses on the bands. I am not …

-----to make sure the Government does not deliver the two-tier system it has previously------