Government and Fianna Fáil block proposal to bring Google, Facebook, Apple and other multinationals accused of avoiding corporate tax in Ireland before the Dáil Finance committee
People Before Profit TD says FG, Labour and Fianna Fáil colluding in cover-up of corporate tax dodging by multinationals in Ireland
Richard Boyd Barrett TD, Finance spokesperson for People Before Profit/United Left Alliance submitted a motion to today’s meeting of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance and Public Sector Reform, calling for the committee to bring before it representatives of multinational companies such as Google, Facebook and Apple, to answer questions about recent allegations that it is using Ireland as a base to avoid paying corporate tax.
Following a meeting last week of a sub-committee set up by the Joint Committee to discuss Global corporate tax architecture and Ireland and by their actions today, Deputy Boyd Barrett said it was clear that Fine Gael, Labour and Fianna Fáil representatives are closing ranks to block proposals to bring multinationals before the sub-committee to face questions about their corporate tax affairs.
The Joint Committee met today to discuss Deputy Boyd Barrett’s motion and similar motions submitted by Deputy Joe Higgins and Deputy Pearse Doherty.
Richard Boyd Barrett said: “I was really shocked at last week’s sub-committee, set up to look at Ireland and multi-national corporate tax, when all of the Fine Gael, Labour and Fianna Fáil representatives made it clear that they would block any effort to bring representatives of multi-nationals such as Google, Facebook and Apple in front of the committee to answer questions about their using Ireland to dodge bills in corporate tax.
It’s amazing how entire political establishment – Government parties and opposition parties close ranks when it comes to protecting the super-profits of private companies from any scrutiny about their tax affairs.
It’s bad enough that the government and Fianna Fáil won’t even consider some corporate tax increase on these multi-nationals but it is beyond belief that they are trying to stymie even a discussion about these very serious allegations of corporate tax dodging.
I submitted a motion to the committee to bring this issue out in the open and it will be a real test of this government’s claimed commitment to open-ness and transparency. It certainly says something about this government’s democratic revolution if we can’t even ask multi-nationals about their tax affairs here when ordinary people are being nailed to the wall with austerity, cuts and taxes that many are utterly unable to pay”.