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SINN FÉIN HAS proposed abolishing the local property tax which would cost the Exchequer €445 million, in its alternative Budget plans.
Against this, the party has proposed re-introducing a second home charge at a rate of €400 per-year which would raise €105 million.
Among other measures, the party has also proposed raising betting tax applied to customers to 3% which would raise €3 million, and a 7% special levy on incomes over €100,000 (which would raise €662 million).
The third largest party in the Dáil launched its alternative budget today, which party TDs said was on the side of “ordinary people”.
“In Budget 2018, Sinn Féin has chosen a side, the side of ordinary people,” said finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty.
Sinn Féin’s priority for Budget 2018 is to invest in public services and begin the process of solving the crises in health and housing.
Breakdown
Sinn Féin’s Budget would see increases in taxes across different levels of the economy.
Under the heading of “Paying a Fair Share”, the party proposes the 7% levy, increasing the Capital Acquisitions Tax by 3% to 6%, abolishing the Help to Buy scheme, and increasing PRSI for incomes of over €100,000.
All in all the party will raise €2 billion from tax methods. Offsetting this will be tax reductions of almost €600 million.
Some of these will include abolishing the property tax, taking workers under €20,280 out of the Universal Social Charge, increasing tax credits for the self-employed and increasing PRSI bands in line with a minimum wage increase.
Taking these into account, the party is proposing net tax increases of around €1.4 billion.
Doherty has stressed that in the current economic climate there is no room for significant tax cuts and that all resources must be directed towards addressing the crises in housing and health.
He said that Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil were engaged in “a sham fight over tax cuts that will disproportionately benefit those on higher incomes over those on lower to average incomes”.
Spending
The party has costed proposals which it said will tackle the main social issues in the country.
Among these are increases in capital investment in the housing sector, with additional social housing of 4,131 units costed at €702 million.
There would also be increased spending on a new affordable housing programme of €428 million.
There would also be increased capital investment in health of €100 million. The party said it would tackle the trolley crisis and caring for older people with 500 more hospital beds and two million additional home help hours.
The party also flagged increases of €4.50 for all working age social welfare payments, €4.50 for pensioners and €6 for people with disabilities.
You can view the full alternative Budget here
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And they had to have a big consultation to figure that out. ..Give me a break whatever happened to good old common sense.
Regrettably in this day and age, common sense isn’t very common.
yes censorship works
It also favours government propaganda and oppression.
exactly, suicide is unpopular so journalists should not report, this is the censorship line
I think the figures should be reported daily.
The truth is well masked and denies the serious straits many people are in and take desperate measures. It then is easier for them to say that improvements and help are not needed.
It may well be sensible not to report the method but where and how many would be most telling. I’m think most of us know the reasons.
THIS SHOULD BE REPORTED.
It should,not be hidden and it is to be recognised that the problems are much bigger and more widespread than the government report with their big smiles and all the carry on at the EEC.
Media agencies should provide journalists with the ethics of reporting on suicides.
There are already ethics about reporting suicide. There’s a great group called Headline that monitor media for such things who came in to give us a talk when I studied media.
These ethics aren’t exactly legally implemented, though. Most of the changes in the reporting of suicide are pretty subtle and you’d nearly need them to be pointed out to notice them.
For instance, you shouldn’t ever read an article these days claiming somebody had “committed suicide”, since it was decriminalised, there’s no crime to be committed.
Areas where suicide is a problem shouldn’t be refereed to as “hot spots” and the methods used shouldn’t be reported.
When two people kill themselves together, they ofter get referred to as “Romeo and Juliet”, which romaticises suicide.
As I said, though, these aren’t legal issues. Just common sense, really.
I don’t think that the reporting on suicide is the issue.A poorly resources mental health service is having a far bigger impact on the numbers than anything else.Now how about a big media discussion on this point.
Sadly, there is nothing in a media report that is not easily found by a Google search.
Just completed the ASIST refresher training (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training). I did the initial training 4 years ago.
For those that are interested you can find out when it may be in your area ~
There’d be little risk of any copycats if reporters used terms that made the legacy of suicide seem unappealing. e.g. instead of saying “a person has taken their own life” they should say “another idiot has taken the cowards way out”. Copycats are weak-minded & unoriginal so attaching a negative stigma is a much better deterrent that the “poor you” mentality.
And before people start thinking I’m trying to insult suicidal people, maybe read it again a few times. I’m specifically talking about copycats (as the article is about) NOT people with real mental health issues!
Anyone that thinks suicide is “the cowards way out” doesn’t understand. Not sure what you mean by “real mental health issues”. It is something that can happen to anyone, given certain circumstances. Drugs or alcohol can also influence a person’s state of mind. Including prescribed drugs eg anti-depressants. While some people can tolerate these drugs, for others they can increase the risk of suicide, especially in the younger age groups. Hence the FDA have a black box warning on these psychoactive drugs ~
http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/InformationbyDrugClass/UCM096273
Going on or coming off these drugs can also be a vulnerable time.
{ Do not stop or change without discussing with a good doctor, due to the dangers of withdrawal incorrectly }
Well why not to ban movies and their making too then?? Example: Wild tales…a pilot that takes his own life and others too. Movies, news, books are fonts of great ideas and surely do not apply only for suiciding’s thoughts, but to wanna be rapists, racists, killers, thieves…maybe should just banned people from all forms of information and entertainment
have your say