Vol. 558 No. 5
142 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Finance if his attention has been drawn to the concerns raised in the NESC report titled, An Investment in Quality: Services, Inclusion and Enterprise, that the highly complex system of tax reliefs in the tax code operates within a lack of any clear principles in the evolution of these reliefs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25146/02]
I have received a copy of the NESC report entitled An Investment in Quality: Services, Inclusion and Enterprise and it is being studied in my Department. Tax expenditures and tax reliefs are spread through the tax system and are found under all tax headings, including income tax and corporation tax, the capital taxes and the indirect taxes. These take a number of forms and have different, and very often significant, public policy objectives, many of longstanding.
Given the many important policy objectives involved, I would not accept that there is a lack of any clear principles and I would assure the Deputy that all tax relief schemes are kept under review, especially in the context of the annual budget and Finance Bill, to ascertain that they are fulfilling the purpose or purposes for which they were introduced.
143 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Finance if his attention has been drawn to the proposals in the NESC report titled, An Investment in Quality: Services, Inclusion and Enterprise that supports further study of a development land value tax; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25147/02]
I have received a copy of the NESC report, An Investment in Quality: Services, Inclusion and Enterprise, which is being studied in my Department. In accordance with the normal position in the lead up to the budget, I do not propose to comment on the particular matter referred to by the Deputy.
