I need the Taoiseach to listen very carefully. He keeps standing up here and keeps mentioning the protests in this country and the war. I will put on the record why the protests happened in this country. They happened because of the increase in taxation on fuel. I will show the Government how it can counteract this, and I have said it on numerous occasions. The Government should cap the price of fuel from which it takes tax. It is the same as income tax for every worker in this country. I will give a summary. At the moment, it is €1.92 for the haulage sector. Minus the VAT, that gives you €1.56. The Government has put a package in place for which most of them will probably not be able to qualify because most of them are under pressure. It is not only householders who are arrears but they are also in arrears. The bus companies and everyone is now in arrears. If the Government capped the fuel cost-----
Sentiment score: -0.05
They are in arrears on repayments for their trucks and tax arrears, so they cannot qualify for the Government's package. For everyone in this country, the Government would cap the fuel prices at €1.70 for white diesel. That would mean it would not have had to put the package in place for hauliers and everyone else in this country. It would include the package that the Government is coming out with. What that would come back to is that if you cap it, it creates stability across the country, and also creates forecasting for 12 months. What has to happen here at every budget going forward, and from now until the next budget, is that the Government has to put in a cap on what it takes in taxes. If it was €1.70 at the moment with the tax, even with the war, if there was an increase in fuel, we would not even be at €1.93 at the moment. It is the tax on the increased cost that is bringing it to €2.20. If you cap the fuel, all businesses are covered, and anyone who is registered can claim back the VAT. That makes for a stable economy. I cannot understand why the Government cannot look at this. It can do the same with green diesel for everyone in the agricultural sector and whatever sector uses it. It can do the same with kerosene, which covers all the packages that the Taoiseach is talking about, such as home heating, which people rely on. It can do the same with petrol. That would mean that every worker in this country, every person who is caring for people, including gardaí, nurses, carers and the fire service - across the board - has something at source, but the Government has to give the cap, which creates the stability, for that to work. Take the taxes up to €1.70, but after that, no more tax. I have spoken to so many businesspeople, and everyone agrees with me.
Sentiment score: 0.05
No problem.
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It is easy to know the Taoiseach has never been involved in business because he would understand stability and forecasting if he had been. Everything that he discusses is the package. Is there one package there for the working person in this country who is travelling? The Taoiseach is talking about 2.3 million vehicles. He mentioned road hauliers. Road hauliers, in this package, are 17% of the transport network in this country. There is the Irish trucking haulage. Until this package was introduced, you did not get a subsidy if you were drawing your own goods. Now, they are included in this package. This is what I am talking about. If the Taoiseach had done what I told him on a cap on the cost of fuel, he would not have had to introduce any package. Everything would work itself out. If a person was going to work in a car, a van or otherwise, with the package on white diesel, everyone would get it, and everyone on petrol would get it. That means that not only householders would get it, but all the businesses up along. Anyone who was registered could claim their VAT back, which would reduce their costs in providing stuff for people. I am not talking about a package for this person or that person. I want a package for everyone, and a cap applies to everyone, not just one sector.
Sentiment score: 0.03
Yes.
Sentiment score: 0.40
The same revenue you had six weeks ago is the exact same revenue you will have today.
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Look at the package.
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The Taoiseach asked me.
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Will I answer you?
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Do you want me to answer?
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I will do a live debate with you and answer you. There you go. Live - the two of us.
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Live debate. Come on.
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I can. He asked me a question.
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Thank you, a Cheann Comhairle. Like everything, he just wants to run down the clock.
Sentiment score: 0.36
I was supporting them.
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Sorry now.
Sentiment score: -0.08
On a point of order, that is out of order.
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On a point order, I went down and negotiated as a public representative. You had someone on the live airwaves who has misled the public.
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He has made a challenge against me.
Sentiment score: 0.08
He has made a challenge against me. Live debate. That is all you are good for, running down the clock.
Sentiment score: 0.17
He made a charge.
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No problem.
Sentiment score: -0.60