Neale Richmond
Question:107. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Finance his views on the latest recommendations from the Commission on Taxation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46250/22]
View answerThursday, 22 September 2022
Questions (107, 117, 158)
Robert Troy
Question:117. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Finance his views on the taxation commission report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46048/22]
View answer
Mick Barry
Question:158. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Finance the aspects of the recommendations of the recent Report on the Commission on Taxation which he supports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46197/22]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 107, 117 and 158 together.
The Commission on Taxation and Welfare was an independent group that was established in April 2021 as a result of a commitment in the Programme for Government. It was asked to independently consider how best the taxation and welfare systems can support economic activity, and promote increased employment and prosperity while ensuring that there are sufficient resources available to meet the costs of the public services and supports in the medium and longer term.
‘Foundations for the Future’, the Report of the Commission on Taxation and Welfare, was published on 14 September. It is a wide ranging report that contains over 500 pages and 116 recommendations relating to the future of our taxation and welfare systems.
The report poses serious questions that we as a society must carefully consider. The recommendations will foster real debate around how we reform our tax and welfare systems over the longer term in order to safeguard their sustainability and adapt to a rapidly changing environment. This important work is focused on the longer term and will contribute to debates on the optimal balance of taxation for many years to come.
It is clearly set out in the Commission’s report that the recommendations are not intended to be implemented all at once, but rather provide a clear direction of travel for this and future Governments around how the sustainability of the taxation and welfare systems may be improved in a fair and equitable manner.
The Commission’s recommendations are significant and wide ranging, and it is important to allow time for detailed consideration. As is acknowledged in the report, the recommendations come at a challenging time economically.
It is my intention to provide an initial response to some of the recommendations as part of the upcoming budget. It would not be appropriate for me to speculate on what specific elements of the report we might act on in advance of that process concluding over the coming weeks.
Question No. 108 answered with Question No. 103.