Taxation and undocumented Irish
Senator Colm Burke called for a debate on taxation, citing recruitment problems for doctors, nurses and builders due to higher tax rates. Senator Paddy Burke sought a discussion with the Foreign Affairs Minister on the number of undocumented Irish in the United States.
In the next few months, Ministers will meet to plan the budget for 2019. It is appropriate that we have a debate here on taxation. Some of the complaints I now receive from employers, particularly with regard to doctors and nurses, are about going into the higher tax bracket once they go over €34,500 in earnings and comparing this with taxation levels in Northern Ireland and the UK. We are competing for workers with those areas now. This morning, I spoke to a builder who brought people back from England to work here on building sites. He advised me they are now returning to the UK because they find the tax rates here extremely high and they would be better off staying in the UK. It is now a problem and we need to look at our taxation system. While we need to ensure we have adequate money to improve services, we also need to ensure we can compete on the world market for people in many areas, from the building industry to the hotel industry to the medical area. We should have a debate in the House in April or early May on this issue with regard to taxation and future planning.
Comment on this
At some stage after the Easter break, the Leader might invite the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to the Seanad to discuss the undocumented in the US. Recently, I read the special envoy from Ireland to Washington, Deputy Deasy, has said that the number of undocumented is 10,000, rather than the 40,000 or 50,000 that has been alluded to on numerous occasions previously.
His assertion has not been disputed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. I ask the Leader to invite in the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to give us the up-to-date position on the number of undocumented Irish the Department believes to be in the United States and what progress has been made with the President of the United States following the visit by the Taoiseach to the United States over St. Patrick's weekend. It would be a very worthwhile debate to have in this House. I hope the Leader will arrange for such a debate on our return following the Easter recess.