asked the Minister for Finance if he will state the total number of traders in musical instruments liable for the payment of income-tax during the last year for which the information is available.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Traders in Musical Instruments.
I regret that the information for which the Deputy asks is not available, and an endeavour to obtain it would involve the expenditure of a considerable amount of time and labour on a review of many thousands of income-tax assessments. Even if this were done, it is likely that the result obtained would be inaccurate owing to the fact that there are many persons who deal in musical instruments as portion of a wider trading concern.
Will the Minister for Finance agree that, although the fall in the purchasing powers of the people has brought about a fall of £62,000 a year in the expenditure on musical instruments during the last six years, there is still a number of traders in musical instruments left in the country struggling to keep on their business?
Surely the Deputy would not want me to agree with a proposition of that sort, whatever he may mean by it?
Does not the Minister agree that there are a few traders in musical instruments left in the country?
I do not agree either with the Deputy's premises or the conclusions which he draws from them.
In other words the answer is "no."
Mr. Brennan
I wonder is it?