Carol Nolan Blasts Tax Loss, Warns of Rural Job Collapse

Minister, I am happy to be able to contribute to this debate today, but I do so from a rural perspective as part of the Rural Independent Group and indeed a rural TD from Leigh Schauffele. I also want to make reference to the massive defeat for Ireland in terms of our 12.5% corporation tax revenue. That loss is conservatively estimated to be in the region of $2 billion annually to the Irish economy. And of course this is just the beginning, because almost as importantly as we have lost something that is vital to our own national interests when it comes to public finances, this is a loss of any kind of meaningful sovereignty when it comes to determining the shape and form of our own taxation policies. EU solidarity has shown itself to be a total fiction. International solidarity and respect for the right of sovereign nations to determine legitimate taxation policies has been shown to be a myth. In the last number of weeks, Ireland has been strong-armed into surrendering the jewel in the crown of foreign direct investment policy. I am extremely concerned about that. And yet this government has the gall to try and sell this as a win for Ireland's finances and a win for our international standing. It is far from that. That is the kind of apologetic tone and shrinking regard for the destructive views of other nations' political and economic interests that has just lost us billions in revenue. In terms of future budgets, it means that we now have to operate within a more confined fiscal space. This will trickle down to the ordinary people and in the shape of loss of service supports, loss of funding and a more uncertain economic future for their children. I find this all the more striking in the context of what our own Parliamentary Budget Office has previously noted as the necessity to maintain the resilience of the tax system an important factor in the sustainability of the public finances. The PBO rightly points out that the important questions are starting to arise about how resilient the tax system is to unexpected and systematic shocks such as the financial crisis of 2008 to 2013 and the pandemic crisis of 2020 and that we are still experiencing in 2021. This makes it all the more difficult to understand or to fathom why this government, for all its rhetoric, seems determined to actively endanger and threaten the capacity of rural Ireland to maintain employment levels within formerly strong Indigenous sectors such as forestry, horticulture, farming and agri-food production. Not to mention, not to mention, not to mention, not to mention the threat to thousands of jobs in our agricultural and merchant sector because of the interpretation of EU regulations that, as usual, this government and the Attorney General seems to go over and beyond to appease our EU masters for some reason selling out our country. Just look at the fishermen sold out and here we are seeing it in agriculture, we are seeing it in our businesses where you are not standing up for the Irish people. It is a disgrace and it is shameful, it is shameful to the legacy of our leaders of 1916 who fought for the freedom of this country and you are happy to sell out every sector. No problem, all you do is at the stroke of a pen you sell it out, time after time. It is a job, not the kind of showpiece budgets that we are witnessing today in all of those sectors, that is the greatest security against poverty and increased risks of intergenerational deprivation. And not just a job of course, but meaningful and well paid and stable employment that Irish people deserve. Instead, what we have seen from this government since it took office, at least with no respect for rural Ireland whatsoever, is anything but the dedicated support for rural employment that we so richly deserve. And that the communities of rural Ireland who are struggling deserve. And I want to again mention my own constituency of Leish Offaly that has been very badly treated by an unjust transition, no alternatives were put in place, it was foisted and imposed upon my constituents. And I think it is shameful, we want to see meaningful employment or we want to see a roll back of those measures because we have been treated very harshly and unfairly in regard to transition. We have also seen an entire forestry sector completely destabilised. And I do want to remind you here again, and I have brought this issue up with the Tánaiste and indeed the Taoiseach, that there are 10,000 jobs in the forestry sector at stake. Our economy in rural Ireland is at risk of collapse. And I just wonder sometimes, you know, are you waiting for the whole collapse of our economy before you are going to act or what you are going to do with this crisis? I mean, we brought forward amendments from the Rural Independent Group in relation to a bill, a forestry bill that has not served our being any, it doesn't have served any good really. We still have a backlog of thousands of licences and we have jobs at risk. And I want to say here clearly today that it's not good enough. And I'm calling on you yet again to please take action. And also, in tandem with that, we have 17,000 horticulture jobs at serious risk. We have thousands of tonnes of peat being imported from Latvia. I think it's an insult to the Irish people what you've done. I think Minister Eamon Ryan and this Government collectively need to stand up and explain to us all and to our constituents how it makes sense to have thousands of tonnes of peat imported into this country. And may I add, inferior quality peat. While we have 17,000 jobs on the brink of being lost, I don't understand it. And the carbon footprint is increasing. It makes no sense. That climate action policy and what was put before us was fit for the recycling bin or the shredder. It was not fit for purpose. It had no alternatives. It made ludicrous, ludicrous statements that can't be backed up. But I think you need to take collective responsibility here now. We need to know how this makes sense. And again, I'm calling on this Government. And I've called on the Tanishda and I've explained the problem to him a number of times. As have the stakeholders in the forestry sector. We need emergency legislation. You're well able to bring in emergency legislation at the drop of a hat when it suits. Why not do it for the people of this country? Why not do it for the 17,000 people who deserve no less than that? And I'm stating that here quite strongly tonight. Because there's no mention of any supports in the budget for those people. And I think what you need to do is, as I say, explain to people the logic of what you're doing. Because, as far as I'm concerned, there is no logic. It is absolutely absurd to think that after the theatrics of today are over. And the Government's various commitments to support employment and rural economy fades away. Whole sections of our communities will remain under threat because of the same Government. There's no meaning or no substance to anything really that you're saying. And I do want to also state here that we have an energy policy that is creating the foundation for dramatic loss of confidence in this country. As a destination that can be relied upon to keep the lights on. I think we're all going to be in the dark fairly soon. And I'm calling on you again to just show a bit of cop on and common sense. And roll back on those ludicrous policies that you've decided to pursue. At the behest of employment in rural Ireland and the behest of the Irish people. And to the detriment of your own people. How on earth have we arrived at this point? You know, it's a point of stupidity and it's nothing short of it. Until the underlying threats to basic areas like energy are dealt with. Then all budget commitments in the world about growing indirect investment will amount to little more than Government shouting in the wind. And I think you need to prove yourselves here. We also see a social housing and health emergency in this state. That today's budget are unlikely to solve unless there is a total reversal of approaches that have got us to disappoint. And indeed, you know, there needs to be a wake up call here. I will welcome any positive small steps in this budget to alleviate the chronic needs of our people. But I believe passionately in the values of the 1916 proclamation. True statesmen that served this country. And the importance of cherishing all of the children of this island equally. And serving the Irish people. Thank you. Deputy Principal Peter tattooed a committee fighter. I will call a club to speak up with the Venice people. Thank you Deputyanın.