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FINANCE MINISTER MICHAEL Noonan has promised a fairly neutral Budget this week. As we’re all well aware, the initial plan had been to bring in another €2 billion in spending cuts and tax increases — so there’s a little less hysteria and hoopla surrounding the whole occasion, compared to the last few years.
Noonan and his colleagues — most notably, Leo Varadkar — have signaled a number of times recently that a package of tax cuts may be on the cards this Tuesday.
There’s been the typical round of kite-flying by ministers and their operatives in the last few weeks too, but for a variety of reasons — not least The John McNulty Affair — the stories got a more muted reception than usual this time out.
At this juncture, it’s by no means clear what form this mooted tax measure will take, but Enda Kenny said this week that the Budget would be the “first step” towards lowering the top income tax rate of 52 per cent.
And while public expenditure minister Brendan Howlin has told his Cabinet colleagues there’ll be an extra €600 million in spending to go around — he’s effectively ordered them them to trim down their pre-Christmas wish-lists.
There’s no question it’s an improved situation after years of austerity Budgets — but, that said, the current scenario is light years away from what was happening in the Department of Finance a decade ago…
[Oireachtas.ie]
“The past a foreign country,” the famous quote goes…
They do things differently there.
Well…
Yes.
[Oireachtas.ie]
Here’s what Brian Cowen had to announce to the nation when he rose to give his maiden Budget speech in December 2004…
The ’2005′ package was the first of four Budgets delivered by Cowen before he replaced Bertie Ahern as Taoiseach, and the late Brian Lenihan took over the Finance hotseat.
His ’2006′ announcement included an extra €1.1 billion in social welfare increases, while the pre-election ’2007′ package allowed for a reduction in the top rate of tax to 41 per cent, on top of more social welfare rises.
We all know what happened later, of course… So we’ll make as swift an exit as possible from this trip down memory lane before we all feel the need to start reaching for the smelling salts.
The next two Budgets, delivered in quick succession, were amongst the worst the country has ever experienced.
The one after that saw public servants’ pay cut by between 5 and 15 per cent, as Lenihan announced a package of €4 billion in savings…
On the bright side, it did provide us with this immortal Youtube clip.
And…
We all partied.
Didn’t we?
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I wonder will the Marxist rabble who recently had the audacity to gatecrash a Christmas mass in progress at a Dublin Cathedral..an outrage completely ignored by most of the media..to make some point about Israel and Gaza be out feeding the homeless on Christmas day? Somehow I very much doubt it!
@Jonn: I don’t think that Hamas or their fan clubs are noted for their charitable endeavours, especially around Christian festivals.
@Thomas Sheridan:
That’s true! I’m curious why the leftist rent a mob chose a Christian ceremony to disrupt..luck of the draw I suppose? Would they have been as quick to invade a mosque, or even a synagogue,which in the circumstances might have been more aligned with their ’cause’? But like the cowards they are they chose a church,an easy,safe target.
@Jonn:
Away sking with Mummy And Papa.
@H Woo:
Quite possibly, the ‘climate crisis’ will have to wait while they fly into Italy for a nice festive break from virtue signalling!
@Jonn: If Jesus was born now (assuming he was ever born or existed) he would undeniably be Palestinian. Unfortunately, the odds of him surviving today in Palestine might not be very good.
@Jack Hayes:
Jack I 100% support the Palestinians, and denounce everything Israel is doing,it’s an abomination, but still doesn’t explain why these morons thought disrupting a Christmas mass was relevant to their cause?
@Jonn: jesus was Marxist before Marxism
@Jonn: Mayne highlight the churchs silence on the GAZA situation
@Niall Lappin:
The church hasn’t been silent
You just haven’t been listening to it
@Niall Lappin:
How come they didn’t rock up to a synagogue waving their Palestinian flags?Probably more appropriate especially given senior Jewish figures in Irelands unquestioning support for Israel and the IDF? Or would the optics not have looked right, easier to pick on the usual whipping boy,the catholic church!
@Niall Lappin:
It’s always funny when people who wouldn’t be caught dead in a church enlighten us with the true meaning of Christianity!
@Jack Hayes:
He was Jewish
My father was in the Knights and he used to go to the mansion house every Christmas morning to bring comfort and joy and a fantastic Christmas Dinner to the homeless and make sure they weren’t forgotten about.
Excellent work by all those involved, a heartwarming show of Christianity
May God Bless them all.
@JP Fox: may the force be with you too
Nobody should be hungry.
Logion 29 : (L’évangile de Thomas).
Jésus disait : ‘ si la chair est venu à l’existence à cause de l’esprit,
c’est une merveille,
mais si l’esprit est venu à l’existence à cause du corps,
c’est une merveille de merveille.
mais moi, je me m’émerveille de ceci :
Comment cet être qui Est,
peut-il habiter ce néant ?’
(CF MT. 21, 41; MC 12, 11 ; JN 1, 14 ; 1 TM 3, 16 ; RM 8, 13 ; 1 CO 5, 3.)
Translated into French by Jean -Yyves Leloup.
@offside again: Go home bot. You’re drunk
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