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THE SOCIAL DEMOCRATS have proposed to invest €1.5 billion in public services as well as abolish water charges, cut local property tax and reduce USC.
The party’s three leaders, Stephen Donnelly, Róisín Shortall and Catherine Murphy, have launched their pre-budget submission this morning ahead of tomorrow’s main Budget 2016 announcement in the Dáil.
Proposals include the abolition of water charges, which the SocDems claim would cost only €13 million, and to halt the installation of water meters.
Donnelly explained that abolishing charges would cost €136 million.
But he said that by scrapping the water conservation grant, the administration of it and not having the “significant cost of billing people” – which he estimated at €44 million – there would be an overall cost of €13 million.
What we’re saying is the cost of charging people for water more or less covers the cost of charging them for water.
However, Donnelly said these assumptions are “very, very conservative” and said it would “arguably save money” to abolish charges. The Wicklow TD said that Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin’s estimations of the cost of scrapping charges had not factored in the savings made from not billing people.
The party is proposing to retain Irish Water as an entity and have it continuing to upgrade water infrastructure. It would be paid for through via general taxation, but Donnelly did not rule out charges being introduced in the future, saying:
We’re very open to a conversation with the Irish people that says: ‘Look you’re currently paying for it through central taxation, it could be paid for through a charge in the future.’ But what we will absolutely not to do is charge people twice.
Murphy said that charging was something “hypothetical, off into the future”.
Elsewhere, the party wants to reduce local property tax for mortgage holders by considering the amount of stamp duty paid and the net value of the property.
A tax on junk food would raise €225 million, the party claims. This would involve a higher VAT rate on foods which are high in sugar content and saturated fats.
The junk food tax also includes a 20 cent levy on a packet of cigarettes, an additional 10 cent on beer, cider and spirits and a ban on below cost-selling of alcohol.
There is also proposal to reduce Universal Social Charge by 0.5%.
This would involve a half a per cent cut to each of the 1.5%, 3.5% and 7% rates and would be targeted at those earning under €70,000.
Under this measure, somebody earning €35,000 would benefit by €175 annually while someone on €70,000 would be €525 better off.
Shortall said that people’s overall cost of living would be reduced by investing in services.
“It’s not just about putting an extra fiver in people’s pockets while at the same time they have to pay for all their services. What we’re talking about is investing in services so that the cost of living is reduced.
The party’s childcare proposals include the introduction of a second free pre-school year, extending paid parental leave to 36 weeks (and 52 weeks by 2018), introduce two weeks of paid paternity leave, and the roll-out of a second free pre-school year from September next year.
The SocDems also want to recruit 3,000 more teachers at primary and secondary level, introduce 100MB broadband in all primary schools, and restore school guidance counsellors.
The party is also proposing to create 900 new positions for primary healthcare workers, allocate €75 million to fund the construction of new primary care centres and reduce the prescription charge from €2.50 to €2.
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They didn’t “make it their home”. They didn’t wake up one morning and think “Strewth lads, let move to Ireland!” They were moved there. Captured, transported and placed there. It’s akin to slavery. And not just them, their descendants too.
Shameful. Truly shameful.
I may have been drinking.
@Damocles: lolwut
@Damocles: Woah! Lig do scíth a chara. Tá siad sásta agus ina gcónaí i nádúr!
@Damocles: jesus lad have a water.
@Damocles: No you’re an idiot – who has to comment on everything. Every day…
@Paul Foot: I’ve barely touched this site in a couple of weeks and I’ve commented on maybe 3 stories today.
@TheJournalAsGaeilge: I’ll bung that through Google translate in the morning if I remember.
@TheJournalAsGaeilge: In English please – if you want most to undetstand you.
@Paul Foot: then I’ll block you and never have to suffer your moaning again. Goodbye.
@Damocles: Block me for the truth? Great – bye, clown.
@Damocles: don’t waste you time it’s just more shite talk but he gets a grant every time he spouts….,,
@TheJournalAsGaeilge: they are happy and that’s the main thing !
@TheJournalAsGaeilge: They are our friends & happy in their home or something like that, My irish is crap
@Paul Foot: I thought it was quite amusing. Lighthearted, funny, entertaining, sure we can’t be serious all the time now can we?
@Pat Lonergan: there’s a lot of shite talk here. I think people get involved too much when there’s a story to be told especially when animals are introduced here like who cares
@Damocles: you can’t spell spanner without spa.
@Pat Lonergan: it’s just 2 taps on the screen. Try it.
@Paul Foot: the truth according to Paul Foot …
@Damocles: A bit like Irish and British convicts in Australia so…
@Richard Wright: You get awfully upset when people speak As Gaeilge Richard. Show some composure chap, what would the Queen think if one of her subjects were acting in such an unmannerly fashion.
@Richard Wright: Can you provide some proof about that. Especially the part about the big breasts.
What’s that Skippy? The kids are trapped down the old mineshaft on Lambay….
There are concerns that a wigwam (the collective term) of wallabies could use a raft to reach the mainland and found a political party with a genuine spring in its step. Remember Dick Spring – well even springier than that. The authorities are keeping a close eye on developments.
Wasn’t aware that Lambay Island was owned by the Baring family of Barings Bank. I read recently that during the Irish famine that Trevelyan’s corn was purchased by the British government through Baring Brothers Bank and the cost of which was subsequently recouped from Irish taxpayers.
@Diaspora’d: link?
@Fank Pulman: goodness sake! Google “Irish famine Baring Brothers Bank”, lots of links, the first one is from Wikipedia. You also listen to Finn Dwyer’s great Irish History Podcast his series on the Irish Famine is exceptional and harrowing.
@Diaspora’d: Thank you – helpful.
@Diaspora’d: technically the article should say “the former…” as Barings rather famously disappeared in 1995 following the actions of “Rouge Trader” Nick Leeson. Barings therefore wasn’t around to cause any further damage to Irish taxpayers in 2007/8.
@Terry McClatchey: if he spent less time swapping lipstick it would have been grand
@Zx5vZulB: good spot Gar. You leave me red faced.
@Terry McClatchey: interesting how both the family of Barings and Nick Lesson both reside in Ireland.
This is dangerous. Has nobody seen Jurassic Park? Life will find a way.
God made mammals, not marsupials. I heard that they can open doors, spread gossip and they collude with squirrels. Not the nice squirrels. The other ones. You know what I’m implying. Securities fraud. We need to be smart.
@Mike Igoe: God made woman and they can open doors, spread gossip and collude with squirrels, why did nobody warn us about them?
We need to take back Lambay Island .Let’s get the boats out.
@Vincent Sharpe: we can’t even run our own island
Experimenting and meddling with nature led to the grey squirrel’s and mink killing off some of our native wildlife. Other exotic plant species such as Japanese Knotweed were introduced into Ireland by wealthy estate owners during earlier centuries are now considered invasive and are proving difficult to get rid of having spread in an uncontrolled fashion.
Cattle are wildlife? Did I miss something?
Baring. As in Baring’s Bank?
@Sheila Larkin: Barings Bank*…yes that’s what the article says.
Its a wonderful location for a walk https://vimeo.com/224459441
It’s a wonderful location for a walk https://vimeo.com/224459441
Have they got passports
Bankers island eh.
Why are they such a problem if they reached the mainland? Other than the fact they bread a lot? Genuine question.
They’ll take all our women and jobs
@Niall Farrell: they are considered no better than rats down under.
There has always been a food few living wild in the south of England. I had them around my house there but most people thought it was a myth until one went through the windscreen of a police car. There was an Australian guy down the road who apparently shot and ate one and made a hat from the fur. I had one who got caught in a wire fence and it brutally kicked the carp out of us three guys who tried to get it free. Nice critters though. I’ve always wondered how they would fare in Leitrim.
Only in ireland.
And Tasmania. Seems like a tail with a happy ending.
THE WOBBLIES ARE COMING
Wombling free?
Could be a comment about gentrification if you make some slight changes to the text: “How a colony of wannabies made an island of Dublin their home.”
I like how its called “Red Necked” Wallaby
Its just wrong, they’re basically another squirrel. Send them back to oz and see if we can send they’re crooked owners with them.
Worth noting that if they really get out of control numbers wise they’re very very tasty (I lived in Tasmania for several years) possible new industry here :)
Get worried when they start building rafts
Wonderful. A colony of wannabe wallabies inhabiting Lambay, perceived as slaves (“They didn’t wake up one morning and say ‘Lads, lets go to Ireland’”) and liable to escape from the island any day to form a new political party. Glorious prospect: we are blessed.
Squirrels have a habit of always chewing on trees. Constant chewing is not good for trees. Though big ones might be able to handle it but small ones will eventually die. Chewed barks and branches also aren’t very good to look at either. They are also responsible for complete destruction of plants. As the squirrels have a bit of constantly chewing and digging searching for food, they can rip the plant from roots. There goes your dream of seeing a plant grow in front of your eyes in your yard. We know how to get rid of squirrels in the trees!http://starpestcontrol.ca/pest_control_service/squirrel/
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