diff --git a/compiler/ghc.mk b/compiler/ghc.mk
index 1149fbdf1e21464ac6d51ff98dfeb0927a572512..770f580c072e3742e044d4cbe10d8cb6bca6580b 100644
--- a/compiler/ghc.mk
+++ b/compiler/ghc.mk
@@ -341,20 +341,23 @@ else
 compiler_CONFIGURE_OPTS += --ghc-option=-DNO_REGS
 endif
 
+# Careful optimisation of the parser: we don't want to throw everything
+# at it, because that takes too long and doesn't buy much, but we do want
+# to inline certain key external functions, so we instruct GHC not to
+# throw away inlinings as it would normally do in -O0 mode.
+compiler/stage1/build/Parser_HC_OPTS += -O0 -fno-ignore-interface-pragmas
 # If we're bootstrapping the compiler during stage2, or we're being
 # built by a GHC whose version is > 7.8, we need -fcmm-sink to be
 # passed to the compiler. This is required on x86 to avoid the
 # register allocator running out of stack slots when compiling this
 # module with -fPIC -dynamic.
+# See #8182 for all the details
 ifeq "$(CMM_SINK_BOOTSTRAP_IS_NEEDED)" "YES"
 compiler/stage1/build/Parser_HC_OPTS += -fcmm-sink
 endif
-# However, we may be using e.g. 7.6, and thus the bootstrap compiler
-# does not need to pass -fcmm-sink, but stage1+ does!
-# We pass -fcmm-sink to every stage != 1
-# See #8182 for all the details
-compiler/stage2/build/Parser_HC_OPTS += -fcmm-sink
-compiler/stage3/build/Parser_HC_OPTS += -fcmm-sink
+# We also pass -fcmm-sink to every stage != 1
+compiler/stage2/build/Parser_HC_OPTS += -O0 -fno-ignore-interface-pragmas -fcmm-sink
+compiler/stage3/build/Parser_HC_OPTS += -O0 -fno-ignore-interface-pragmas -fcmm-sink
 
 
 ifeq "$(GhcProfiled)" "YES"
diff --git a/compiler/parser/Parser.y.pp b/compiler/parser/Parser.y.pp
index b18d0d35c6b33bdf673ec72e5deef25adb435444..bd2bd0b9223b137443515c23bc108aa23347177c 100644
--- a/compiler/parser/Parser.y.pp
+++ b/compiler/parser/Parser.y.pp
@@ -16,14 +16,6 @@
 --     http://hackage.haskell.org/trac/ghc/wiki/Commentary/CodingStyle#Warnings
 -- for details
 
-{-# OPTIONS_GHC -O0 -fno-ignore-interface-pragmas #-}
-{-
-Careful optimisation of the parser: we don't want to throw everything
-at it, because that takes too long and doesn't buy much, but we do want
-to inline certain key external functions, so we instruct GHC not to
-throw away inlinings as it would normally do in -O0 mode.
--}
-
 module Parser ( parseModule, parseStmt, parseIdentifier, parseType,
                 parseHeader ) where