Barry Ward

No, again, it depends on what the Summer Economic Statement says.

But you're absolutely right insofar as the government must balance the books.

And what you're talking about there at the moment is where there's an overspend in one department, the Minister of Public Expenditure said, look, that's going to have to come out of the budgets of other departments.

That is an internal accounting function within government.

What we're talking about here is a policy objective to reduce the tax burden on people in the middle income bracket.

That is a desirable thing.

Where it can be done, it should be done.

And obviously, it also requires prioritisation and it may be that other things will have to not go forward or will have to be cut back or whatever it is.

No, I'm saying all of that.

In fact, I'm saying it should be done.

If we can afford to do it, it should be done.

And that's, in fact, what the Taoiseach said, I think, yesterday in relation to what's going to come out in July in the Summer Economic Statement.

That will determine whether it can be done or not.

But it is a choice.

And taxation is always a choice.

And Barra's asking me to identify which.

I am not in the Department of Finance.

I am not the person who makes that call.

I will be part of the discussion, certainly.

But what I'm saying is that as a policy objective, we should be identifying nurses, guards, teachers, people who are working hard, earning a middle income, but still paying the top rate of tax.