Finance Bill 2025 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee Stage
Seanad Éireann — 2025-12-09
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Simon Harris (FG), Wicklow

That is why the Government delivered a budget that was by any objective standard, and in fact by objective measures, a progressive budget. Sometimes we try to differentiate in conversation between corporations, foreign direct investment and the people of Ireland. The people of Ireland are working in the companies that have set up here in all of our constituencies across Ireland. The people of Ireland, including the very people the Senator mentioned, are benefiting directly from the revenues those investments bring in. I refer to our ability to pay out a Christmas bonus, to deliver and expand social welfare, and to be able to invest more in childcare, children, disability, education and health, as this budget has done.
SARP is actually a very targeted scheme. This is often misrepresented, although not necessarily by Senator Murphy. It is targeted at employees who, prior to relocating to Ireland, acquired specialist knowledge and skills relevant to their company. In that capacity, upon relocation such workers are uniquely positioned and qualified to contribute to the expansion or the development of that business, thus creating further opportunities for the Irish economy. At such a perilous and turbulent time globally, with so many headwinds, it would be utterly irresponsible to start reducing the offering we provide to people who seek to invest in our economy and our country and who provide significant employment.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2025-12-09/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:26+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-12-09