That is not true.

I took part in a concert last night that was raising funds for two charities, one of which was the Capuchin day centre in Church Street and I listened to Brother Kevin make a speech. It was staggering to hear of the increasing numbers the centre is feeding and it was heartbreaking to listen to the stories of individuals and families who are engaging with the centre. We know the situation is worsening. We also know of the difficulties facing those with a disability and in our health service. We live in a very unequal society yet we live in the so-called developed world and can imagine what it is like for those living in the developing world. A major driver of this inequality is the economic, financial and tax policies of governments. What kind of society do we want to live in? If we want a fairer more equal society then, strange as it may seem, we have to apply morality and ethics to taxes and finance.

Last Monday, there was a very damning analysis in the report by Oxfam which puts Ireland in a list of 15 countries that are tax havens. While the Minister for Finance is very dismissive of the report, we have to take it seriously and consider it. Oxfam and other non-governmental organisations are highlighting tax injustice which has repercussions for our societies. Tax injustice comes from businesses, multinationals and corporations avoiding and evading tax. Over the past 30 years, the net profits posted by the world's largest companies more than tripled in real terms from €2 trillion to €7.2 trillion but that increase was not matched by a rise in corporate income tax returns. If we are serious about eliminating poverty, we have to have an efficient, well thought out and fair tax system. That means examining the taxing and profits of companies and large corporations because if we do that countries have more to invest in public services such as housing, education and health. Developing countries are up to three times more vulnerable to the negative effects of our tax policies than are the rich countries. It is calculated that they are losing $100 billion yearly as a result of this tax avoidance. Our role and reputation on the sustainable development goals will be completely undermined unless we commit in real and practical terms to the principle of tax justice which means a fairer world for everyone.

The Taoiseach gave a commitment to hold a conference and high level meeting on tax in early 2017. I would like to see a real adequate space for tax justice with the voices of those active in this area who see the effects of the tax policies of the developed world impacting on us and on the developing world. There has to be an input from those tax justice people and a commitment to the principle of tax justice.

The report published by the Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, yesterday showed that those on lowest incomes benefited most from the budget. We have tried over recent years to improve the lot of those on lower incomes, principally by reducing the level of unemployment and providing a pathway and a road into jobs which is the route out of poverty but also by assistances such as reduction in or elimination of tax in some cases and the improvement in the minimum wage as recommended by the Low Pay Commission.

The Deputy raises a couple of important points. I heard comment on the Oxfam report yesterday. Ireland very strongly rejects allegations that this country is a tax haven.

The Taoiseach does not want to think about it.

We do not meet any of the international standards for being considered a tax haven. We are fully compliant with all the best practices in the areas of transparency and exchange of information. We have and want real substantive foreign direct investment, the kind that brings real jobs and investment into the country and the wider community. The Oxfam report includes Ireland's 12.5% rate as one of the factors in saying that this country is a tax haven. I reject that and strongly refute this characterisation of our tax rate. The 12.5% is fully in line with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD, and international best practice in having a low rate and applying it to a very wide tax base. The 12.5% rate is available only on trading profits where there is a substantial activity in Ireland and our corporate tax policies are designed to attract real and substantive operations to Ireland. We have not been and never will be a brass plate location. The Deputy is aware that we got rid of the stateless and the "double Irish" concepts. This is the first country to have a fully OECD compliant knowledge box which is available to make our country continue to be attractive for investment in the future.

The Oxfam report mentions Ireland in the context of profit-shifting activities. We have been clear that we believe that aggressive tax planning can be best countered by international tax reform and have been at the forefront of that movement for some time. We are an active participant in the global work to reform the international corporate tax system. We have implemented country by country reporting. We have agreed the anti-tax avoidance directive and are working towards the implementation of the remaining elements of the OECD base erosion and profit shifting, BEPS, recommendations domestically and internationally. On budget day the Minister for Finance published an update on Ireland's international tax strategy which highlights our continuing efforts in this regard. I completely refute allegations of Ireland being a tax haven.

The Deputy mentioned having a forum for tax justice. We will hold a major economic forum in Dublin in January. Perhaps it would be appropriate to build an opportunity for that kind of discussion around that time and I will communicate with Deputy O'Sullivan on that issue.

I do believe damage has been done to our reputation. There is one way to ensure our reputation is restored. We can be more proactive in supporting and adhering to the public country by country reporting and committing to the highest level of transparency. We should ensure that companies are made to conduct their tax business in a more just and open way. That is the way to disprove and challenge the Oxfam report.

Our development aid programme is one of the world's best. It is acknowledged that human rights are at the heart of our foreign affairs policy so they should be at the heart of our domestic policy also. Joseph Wresinksi, founder of All Together in Dignity, said "extreme poverty does not have to exist. Human beings create it and they are the ones who can put an end to it." The Taoiseach mentioned the meeting in January but I want to talk about the other high level meeting that I think was part of his commitment. We have nothing to fear. Let us read the Oxfam report and let Oxfam and the other NGOs come in and have a real debate on tax justice and the implications of tax policies for Ireland and other countries.

We have nothing to hide. We have been very clear and upfront about all these matters. I will find an opportunity where that can happen, where the Oxfam report can be debated in public and where we can stand over what we say about the changes we have made in the tax position, the actions we have taken both nationally and internationally and disprove any claims or allegations that this country belongs to a category of what one might call tax havens. I value the Deputy's suggestion and I thank her.