Mary Lou misleads public with eleventh hour VAT proposal – Burke

Sinn Féin is taking a chance with critical economic policies at the expense of Irish businesses, a Fine Gael Minister and General Election candidate has said.

Minister Peter Burke, Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, said:

“In a stunning display of either wilful ignorance or outright deception, Sinn Féin has claimed they excluded the 9% VAT rate from their pre-budget submission because they did not have access to the necessary costings. This excuse simply does not hold water. All costings have been publicly and readily available to all members of the Oireachtas, and indeed the public, since it was read into the Dáil record on June 26.

“It’s disingenuous and misleading for Mary Lou McDonald to assert in her remarks that Sinn Féin “did not know how much it would have cost’ at the time. This contradicts the public record, showing a consistent characteristic evasion of the truth from Sinn Féin.

“The issue here is not just about a specific VAT rate. It’s about Sinn Féin’s broader tendency to propose appealing policies without solid plans for implementation.

“This pattern of empty promises serves nothing but Sinn Féin’s populist electioneering and does not translate into actionable policies that benefit Irish businesses.

“Recent statements by Mary Lou McDonald suggest that Sinn Féin is now, at the eleventh hour, turning its attention to business, demonstrating a blatant ignorance of and disregard for the real needs of businesses during challenging times.

“Sinn Féin are proving to the public how willing they are to be careless and appear to not have done even the most basic of research on their own policies.” Minister Burke concluded.