Call for ministerial tax break ban

Sinn Féin finance spokesman Pearse Doherty has called for a ministerial accommodation tax allowance to be abolished.

He said that when Taoiseach Enda Kenny was in opposition, and "Micheál Martin and his gang were availing of this lavish tax break, you promised to abolish it".

However, it had increased since Mr Kenny had taken up office.

"How can you justify it to people at home, who are fearing the introduction of your property tax on their family home, when 13 Ministers are writing off their income tax for having a second home in Dublin?" Mr Doherty asked.

During heated Dáil exchanges this morning, Mr Doherty said 13 Ministers had claimed a second-home tax break, known as the "dual abode allowance". It allows Ministers outside of Dublin to write off €6,500 from their income tax bill if they had a second home in the capital without providing a single receipt.

If they did not have a second home in Dublin, and they stayed in a hotel, they could write off €3,500 from their income tax bill for the purpose of having their laundry done without providing a single receipt, he added.

Mr Kenny said Mr Doherty, a Donegal TD,  claimed overnight allowances which were a multiple of what any Minister would claim because they did not receive them. "Most Ministers are in Dublin four or five nights a week, depending on their schedule or duties," the Taoiseach added.

Mr Kenny said those matters were all part of what the Government was considering in the budget which would be presented by the Minister for Finance next week.