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multinational companies and the billions of euro in taxes they contribute. That level of reliance on what has often been described as windfall taxes also generates an insecurity and instability for many. What the Labour Party, as a constructive party of opposition with a proud record on workers

struggling between eating, electricity costs and heating their homes. I remind the Taoiseach the Government is currently sitting approximately €190 million from the windfall taxes brought in over the past couple of years. Why is the Government not using that money to alleviate the pressures on families

climate challenges really hits home in the coming years. This is all against the backdrop of Ireland running a deficit once the windfall corporation tax receipts are excluded. According to the work of the Parliamentary Budget Office, PBO, in its post-budget analysis, there was a total

especially relevant post Covid - the advisory council, the so-called watchdog, has being urging extra-special caution. It warns that the corporate tax receipts windfall could dry up at any time and should not be factored into economic deliberations. Before this budget, it stated: Given that the economy … performing well, this is not a time for a large budget package. Budgetary policy is already providing significant support. After excluding excess corporation tax receipts, the government is spending more than [it] collects in underlying revenue. The Government is spending more than it collects in underlying revenue. Just

Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil let their old ideology get in the way. Recent history shows us that the Government cannot keep cutting taxes and ramp up spending at the same time and expect a good outcome for our country. I am one of three survivors still … with no departmental spending ceilings, and what is more, it is all being paid for by dipping into the well of unreliable windfall corporation taxes from a handful of firms while the Ministers, Deputies Donohoe and Chambers, go about hollowing out and narrowing the tax base ever more

about the vulnerabilities of our tax base. The concentration risks associated with corporation tax are well rehearsed. When we strip away the corporation tax froth, we are in the red to the tune of about €7 billion. When the music stops, as it inevitably will … same Ministers again refuse to take their own advice. Looking at the budget presented today, several billion in windfall revenue will be spent next year. Corporation tax is actually bailing us out. Labour is a patriotic party. We want Ireland to succeed, but we must learn. We feel

will affect investment flows if we do not adapt or policies. That is what these tax measures are about. However, the opposition is labelling them as somehow a sort of a windfall for employers, developers or whatever. I wish that Members of the Opposition would engage … July next year, as recommended by the Social Democrats last year, supporting jobs. We are also working to modernise and simplify our tax code to enhance our competitiveness and reduce the burden on businesses. The Government is bringing about a step-change in the approach to infrastructure delivery

Celtic tiger tax break? If not, what has changed between what the Minister said then and announced today and why is this measure not time limited? Where is the sunset clause and why is it not tied to output? This should not be a permanent windfall-gains measure … huge cash subsidies through a variety of schemes. If these cash subsidies have failed to increase construction, why does Government think that this tax break will work

public finances based on a set of core principles, which included increasing public sector investment to address infrastructural deficits, including using windfall receipts; building up our long-term savings funds - there used to be a time when everyone in this House wanted to spend the rainy day funds … that would have been imprudent and it is important that we build up those saving funds - running budget surpluses; and maintaining a broad tax base with the postponement of income tax changes in the case of economic headwinds. That is what the programme for Government says in black

investor funds, which were completely prioritised. During the election campaign, they never said that their big idea was going to be a tax-cut giveaway of up to €500 million a year to wealthy developers and funds. Today, the Government's developer VAT cut has been torn apart … Budget Office over a lack of evidence and the fact that developers that have already started building thousands of apartments will get this windfall. This is utterly damning. Billions of euro are going to be given to developers and investors for apartments that are already being built, with

boost the bottom line of large takeaway businesses and the developers. Why not use it as we proposed, to providing an energy income tax credit to working families in draughty homes who are earning less than €80,000 a year? The Labour Party's idea would … renter's credit. These are simple, straightforward and, most importantly, targeted reliefs. We have no difficulty saying we would put a 20% windfall levy on energy companies’ profits and a levy on data centres to pay for them - cost neutral to the State. This is the kind

straight-up transfer of wealth from the public purse to developer's pockets at a cost of €390 million annually. When other tax cuts for developers are taken into account, this budget is worth more than €500 million to them. It is incredible. Of course, it is more … needs support. Slashing its VAT bill by 4% will boost its profits by millions of euro. Other large chains will enjoy similar windfalls. An entire generation is looking at this budget and wondering if there is a future here for it. What do those people see? They

second tier of child benefit targeted at families living in poverty would deliver an economic and social return that far outweighs the tax breaks we have seen from the Government. The difference is that those dividends would not show up in the balance sheets of Burger King … prison spaces but cannot find the courage to fund early intervention programmes for young people at risk; a Government that celebrates corporate windfalls but ignores the social collapse happening in plain sight in our capital city. There is almost nothing in this budget that deals with early intervention