Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 2 May 1951

Vol. 125 No. 13

Resolution No. 2—Customs and Excise. - Mineral Hydrocarbon Light Oil.

Mr. McGilligan

I move:—

(1) That the duty of customs imposed by Section 1 of the Finance (Customs Duties) (No. 4) Act, 1931 (No. 43 of 1931), as amended by subsequent enactments, shall, in respect of mineral hydrocarbon light oil chargeable with that duty, be charged, levied and paid as on and from the 3rd day of May, 1951, at the rate of 1/4 the gallon in lieu of the rate now chargeable by virtue of sub-section (1) of Section 3 of the Finance Act, 1948 (No. 12 of 1948).

(2) That the duty of excise imposed by Section 1 of the Finance (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1935 (No. 7 of 1935), as amended by subsequent enactments, shall, in respect of mineral hydrocarbon light oil chargeable with that duty which is sent out, on or for sale or otherwise, from the premises of the manufacturer thereof on or after the 3rd day of May, 1951, or is used by such manufacturer on or after that date for any purpose other than the manufacture or production of mineral hydrocarbon oil, be charged, levied and paid at the rate of 1/2 the gallon in lieu of the rate now chargeable by virtue of sub-section (2) of Section 3 of the Finance Act, 1948.

(3) It is hereby declared that it is expedient in the public interest that this Resolution shall have statutory effect under the provisions of the Provisional Collection of Taxes Act, 1927 (No. 7 of 1927).

Mr. Lemass

Can we have some information from the Minister as to the effect of this increase in the petrol duty so far as transport charges are concerned? The Deputies opposite will remember that this is the second occasion on which the present Government have increased the tax on petrol. When they did it first, that question was asked and while no positive assurance was given, the House was left under the impression that the increase in the tax on petrol would not involve any increase in bus fares, but bus fares were increased. Are we going to have a further increase in bus fares now? Will any guarantee be given to the House that the result of this tax will not be to increase the cost of public transport services?

Mr. McGilligan

The tax was 1/3 in part of your time and it is up 1d. now.

Mr. MacEntee

May I ask Deputy Davin if this tax is going to have his support? It is a tax which will bear most heavily on the supporters of the Labour Party. It is a tax which will not only increase bus fares, as Deputy Lemass has said, but that will also tend to send up the cost of the transport of all goods produced by farmers and by manufacturers and of everything the workers of this country consume. It would be interesting, therefore, to know if the Labour Party, which is represented in the Government by the Tánaiste, is prepared to support this tax, bearing in mind that, when it was necessary for the purposes of national defence to increase the petrol duty during the period of the emergency, he voted against it.

Mr. McGilligan

The tax was 1/3 in 1941 and stood at that for many years. There are more buses running now than there were then.

Mr. Aiken

It was interesting to hear the Minister for Finance who promised a reduction of £10,000,000 on a tax collection of £65,000,000 now justifying increased taxation on a Budget designed to get £85,000,000 or £91,000,000. The Minister for Agriculture could only give a penny for the farmers who are supplying milk to creameries, but this tax on petrol in this Budget is going to take something of that penny back. The Minister for Agriculture thought £1,000,000 was a great thing to give 400,000 farmers, 150,000 of whom, I suppose, are supplying milk to creameries, but of course he can afford to give £1,800,000 to a few thousand civil servants. Of course he has Deputy Davin's support in that. Deputy Davin is supporting him in collecting more from the people who travel on buses, more from the creamery farmers who will have to pay their portion of the increase on petrol rather than take anything more from the excess corporation profits taxpayers. For years before the last general election the people of the country were deafened by the Labour Party and the other people who are now as mute as mice saying that they would take £3,500,000 back from the excess corporation profits taxpayers which Fianna Fáil had given to the "racketeers." They are giving back £4,500,000 or £5,000,000 to what they call the racketeers this year which they could have taken off them in excess corporation profits tax and instead of that they are increasing the tax on petrol.

Mr. McGilligan

I hope the racketeers will remember this. You used to get money from them. Remember, there is an election in the offing and you may want their money.

Mr. Aiken

It was you who called them racketeers.

A Deputy

Remember the circular.

Mr. McGilligan

If you want their money, you would want to keep quiet.

Resolution put.

The Committee divided: Tá, 69; Níl, 61.

Tá

• Beirne, John.
• Belton, John.
• Blowick, Joseph.
• Brennan, Joseph P.
• Browne, Patrick.
• Byrne, Alfred.
• Byrne, Alfred Patrick.
• Coburn, James.
• Cogan, Patrick.
• Collins, Seán.
• Commons, Bernard.
• Connolly, Roderick J.
• Corish, Brendan.
• Cosgrave, Liam.
• Costello, John A.
• Crotty, Patrick J.
• Davin, William.
• Desmond, Daniel.
• Dillon, James M.
• Dockrell, Maurice E.
• MacEoin, Seán.!O'Reilly, Patrick.
• McFadden, Michael Og.
• McGilligan, Patrick.
• McMenamin, Daniel.
• Madden, David J.
• Morrissey, Daniel.
• Mulcahy, Richard.
• Murphy, William J.
• Norton, William.
• O'Donnell, Patrick.
• O'Gorman, Patrick J.
• O'Higgins, Michael J.
• O'Higgins, Thomas F.
• O'Higgins, Thomas F. (Jun.).
• O'Leary, John.
• Donnellan, Michael.
• Doyle, Peadar S.
• Dunne, Seán.
• Everett, James.
• Fagan, Charles.
• Fitzpatrick, Michael.
• Flanagan, Oliver J.
• Flynn, John.
• Giles, Patrick.
• Halliden, Patrick J.
• Hickey, James.
• Hogan, Patrick.
• Hughes, Joseph.
• Keyes, Michael.
• Kinane, Patrick.
• Kyne, Thomas A.
• Larkin, James.
• Lehane, Con.
• McAuliffe, Patrick.
• MacBride, Seán.
• O'Reilly, Patrick.
• O'Sullivan, Martin.
• Palmer, Patrick W.
• Pattison, James P.
• Redmond, Bridget M.
• Reidy, James.
• Reynolds, Mary.
• Rooney, Eamonn.
• Sheehan, Michael.
• Sheldon, William A.W.
• Spring, Daniel.
• Sweetman, Gerard.
• Timoney, John J.
• Tully, John.

Níl

• Aiken, Frank.
• Allen, Denis.
• Bartley, Gerald.
• Beegan, Patrick.
• Blaney, Neal T.
• Boland, Gerald.
• Bourke, Dan.
• Brady, Seán.
• Breen, Daniel.
• Brennan, Thomas.
• Breslin, Cormac.
• Briscoe, Robert.
• Burke, Patrick.
• Butler, Bernard.
• Childers, Erskine H.
• Colley, Harry.
• Collins, James J.
• Corry, Martin J.
• Cowan, Peadar.
• Crowley, Honor Mary.
• Davern, Michael J.
• Derrig, Thomas.
• De Valera, Eamonn.
• De Valera, Vivion.
• Flynn, Stephen.
• Friel, John.
• Gilbride, Eugene.
• Gorry, Patrick J.
• Harris, Thomas.
• Hilliard, Michael.
• Kennedy, Michael J.
• Kilroy, James.
• Kissane, Eamon.
• Kitt, Michael F.
• Lahiffe, Robert.
• Lemass, Seán F.
• Little, Patrick J.
• Lydon, Michael F.
• Lynch, John.
• McCann, John.
• McEllistrim, Thomas.
• MacEntee, Seán.
• McGrath, Patrick.
• Maguire, Patrick J.
• Moran, Michael.
• Moylan, Seán.
• O Briain, Donnchadh.
• O'Grady, Seán.
• O'Reilly, Matthew.
• Ormonde, John.
• O'Rourke, Daniel.
• O'Sullivan, Ted.
• Rice, Bridget M.
• Ryan, James.
• Ryan, Mary B.
• Ryan, Robert.
• Sheridan, Michael.
• Smith, Patrick.
• Traynor, Oscar.
• Walsh, Richard.
• Walsh, Thomas.

Tellers:—Tá: Deputies Doyle and Spring; Níl: Deputies Kissane and Kennedy.

Question declared carried.

Mr. Davin

Do you want an election? What date would suit you?

Mr. Corry

It is not agriculture.

Mr. Davin

Name the date.