I move:—
That the Dáil agree with the Committee in Financial Resolution No. 19.
Financial Resolutions—Report (Resumed). - Financial Resolution No. 19—Customs.
Arising out of Financial Resolution No. 19, let me say it is not agreed that there will be absolutely no discussion. Speaking on behalf of the Fine Gael Party—we cannot bind the Independents—we have undertaken to accommodate the Minister to the extent that we will give him the Report Stage of the Financial Resolutions to-day. Now, in connection with tea, the imposition of 4d. a lb. on tea reacts practically not at all on those who consume the more expensive qualities of tea, because what will happen in those cases is this, that a reduction in the quality of the tea can be made to meet the tax. But there are qualities of tea which merchants purchase at 11d. and 1/-, below which it is impossible to get tea at all. On these teas. the 4d. is to go, every farthing of it. The result of an imposition of this kind is that it is only those persons who consume the lowest grades of tea who will effectively pay any more for the tea. The remainder of the public will admittedly get a somewhat inferior article, but anyone acquainted with the tea trade——
The Deputy is only wasting time. The Labour Party is going to vote with him on this.
I have no doubt they will, but my suggestion is this, that between now and the introduction of the Finance Bill the Minister should amend this proposal so as to put the 4d. per lb. on tea, the invoiced price of which, in bond, is in excess of 1/6, and that on tea below that price the tax should be only 1d. or 2d. per lb. The amount of revenue will not be very large. and this concession would operate to lift the burden of tax off that section of the community which it will otherwise hit hardest.
Question put.
The Dáil divided: Tá, 53; Níl, 41.
Tá
- Aiken, Frank.
- Bartley, Gerald.
- Beegan, Patrick.
- Boland, Gerald.
- Boland, Patrick.
- Brady, Brian.
- Brady, Seán.
- Breen, Daniel.
- Cleary, Mícheál.
- Concannon, Helena.
- Corkery, Daniel.
- Crowley, Fred. Hugh.
- Crowley, Timothy.
- Daly, Denis.
- Derrig, Thomas.
- De Valera, Eamon.
- Donnelly, Eamon.
- Dowdall, Thomas P.
- Flynn, John.
- Flynn, Stephen.
- Gibbons, Seán.
- Goulding, John.
- Hales, Thomas.
- Harris, Thomas.
- Hayes, Seán.
- Houlihan, Patrick.
- Kehoe, Patrick.
- Kelly, James Patrick.
- Killilea, Mark.
- Kissane, Eamonn.
- Lemass, Seán F.
- Little, Patrick John.
- MacEntee, Seán.
- Maguire, Ben.
- Maguire, Conor Alexander.
- Moane, Edward.
- Moore, Séamus.
- O Briain, Donnchadh.
- O Ceallaigh, Seán T.
- O'Dowd, Patrick.
- O'Grady, Seán.
- O'Reilly, Matthew.
- Pearse, Margaret Mary.
- Rice, Edward.
- Ruttledge, Patrick Joseph.
- Ryan, James.
- Ryan, Martin.
- Ryan, Robert.
- Sheridan, Michael.
- Smith, Patrick.
- Traynor, Oscar.
- Victory, James.
- Ward, Francis C.
Níl
- Anthony, Richard.
- Beckett, James Walter.
- Belton, Patrick.
- Bennett, George Cecil.
- Bourke, Séamus.
- Burke, James Michael.
- Byrne, Alfred.
- Coburn, James.
- Corish, Richard.
- Davin, William.
- Desmond, William.
- Dillon, James M.
- Dolan, James Nicholas.
- Doyle, Peadar S.
- Everett, James.
- Fagan, Charles.
- Haslett, Alexander.
- Keating, John.
- Keyes, Michael.
- Lynch, Finian.
- MacDermot, Frank.
- McFadden, Michael Og.
- McGovern, Patrick.
- McMenamin, Daniel.
- Morrisroe, James.
- Morrissey, Daniel.
- Mulcahy, Richard.
- Murphy, Timothy Joseph.
- Norton, William.
- O'Donovan, Timothy Joseph.
- O'Leary, Daniel.
- O'Neill, Eamon.
- O'Reilly, John Joseph.
- O'Sullivan, Gearóid.
- O'Sullivan, John Marcus.
- Pattison, James P.
- Redmond, Bridget Mary.
- Reidy, James.
- Rice, Vincent.
- Rogers, Patrick James.
- Wall, Nicholas.
Tellers:—Tá: Deputies Little and Smith; Níl: Deputies Doyle and Bennett.
Question declared carried.