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THE LABOUR PARTY has proposed withdrawing income tax credits on incomes over €100,000 in its alternative Budget 2020.
Speaking today, finance spokesperson Joan Burton said that “high net worth individuals are often not paying their fair share” in outlining Labour’s proposals which also included raising the levy on banks to raise an extra €250 million from the sector.
This would go “some way to [the banks] paying their debts to the Irish public,” she said.
Elsewhere in Labour plans, the party proposes a €5 week increase to all social welfare payments as well as reducing public transport fares by 10%.
Burton said: “To give every child a fair start in life, we’d ensure primary education is genuinely free-of-charge. That means free schoolbooks, a universal grant for uniforms, and hot school meals.”
Labour’s plans would also disregard the blind welfare allowance for means tested social welfare payments to end “discrimination” against people in receipt of the payment.
All civil and public servants would be paid at least a living wage of €12.30 an hour while income tax relief for trade union subscriptions would be restored.
Burton added that Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe is aiming for too high a surplus in this year’s Budget and that investing more in public services now is essential with “Brexit a major threat to the economy, combined with the crises in healthcare and housing”.
Separately today, the Green Party proposed a free public transport scheme for students as part of a €475 million investment in sustainable transport options in its alternate Budget 2020.
The Greens also suggested raising carbon tax by €20 per tonne in the next year, higher than the expected €5-10 from the government’s Budget.
The party also wants to create a €300 million fund for the provision of cost rental housing, and invest €200 million for a major retrofit programme.
Its finance spokesperson Neasa Hourigan said: “Following almost a decade of inaction on climate change by this government we now have ten years until 2030 to remake our economic strategy to that of a circular economy, one that places quality of life and the welfare of the most vulnerable in society at its forefront.
We propose a €1.1 billion investment in a low carbon economy as a first step in a longer-term package to effect change. It is our children’s generation that will experience the cost of our current inaction and political inertia, particularly in housing and transport.
Minister Paschal Donohoe will announce Budget 2020 this Tuesday afternoon in the Dáil.
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They had their chance.
@Football in the Groin: they have their salaries every month for a while now, keeping their heads down until the sniff of an election
A bank levy? Surely a financial transaction tax of around 1% on stocks and shares going through the IFSC would be a better option as these are not so much commercial banks (I.e. mortgages, personal loans, savings) that can pass this cost down to ordinary Joe Soaps.
“high net worth individuals are often not paying their fair share”
What? Someone on 100k+ pays a massive amount of tax, far more than a low or middle income earner.
What planet is she on? That sounds like populist politics for the begrudgers who don’t believe anyone should be allowed to be successful in life.
@Reuben Gray: of you’re even remotely comfortable in Ireland these days you should be ashamed and give your money immediately to the homeless!
@Alan: get a grip mate
@Donnacha Bhoicaire: sarcasm meter switched off is it
@Reuben Gray: sorry i thought any right thinking individual would understand but ill give it a go slightly clearer than the article, 40% of 100k is a higher number than 20%of 30k. The point of the proposal is that people on 100k plus can afford to pay more tax but still live comfortably, i for one wouldnt have any problem paying more tax if its spent in the right areas
@Thomas Maher: I don’t get this line of thinking to be quite honest, maybe because they themselves in politics work so little and are paid insane amounts they feel other workers on 100k or so are at the same. It takes a fair bit of work in the real world to end up on 100k, I don’t see why the government should be able to raid these peoples bank balances. Even in tax alone that’s 37,000 euros before PRSI, USC kick in. The government need to start looking at what the phek they themselves are spending money on. We pay such high tax as workers, what are we actually getting for it? Goon politics and tat infrastructure, they want people out of the cars and yet the buses/trains are jam packed, and that’s just one example from the shitac show we got going on here.
@Dave.: Fully agree. Have to admit I am getting close to just saying feck it and move to another country where the crazy amount of tax that I am paying at the moment is not just being p*ssed away. Plenty of countries out there with HQ infrastructure and good internet connections.
Ideas like this will not attract the talent we need as a country.
@Reuben Gray: All politics is populist.. All parties try to appeal to their relevant voters and beyond.
@Reuben Gray: I agree.
@Thomas Maher: I don’t really think anyone would mind paying taxes if it was spent properly but when you see how it’s wasted after the scroungers reward themselves with high salaries & golden pensions can you really blame anybody for complaining about paying tax. This is not a fare society & until that changes (never with FFG) our taxes will never be used properly & resourceful
@Thomas Maher: I earn around that, one income house, I have a wife and 3 kids and pay over 35k a year in tax. Should I pay more? Should I fcuk, I pay way more than my fair share
@Reuben Gray: Oh come on. No need to get angry – it is just cheap political shot to attract votes do you honestly believe they will slash their own pay?
Besides Labour always forget their pre election promises 5 minutes after last official election count.
@Dave.: T.Ds dont pay any tax on half their salary
They had 5 years in government and failed to deliver for their voter, why believe them now? It’s still even the same old faces, a party of yesterday.
@Rochelle: same old faeces more like
@Colm: She looks like a euro saver Halloween ornament.
@Shougeki:
Thank you! Was in fits there
Lest we forget the Labour party promised so much and when they got into they let the poor people of Ireland down.
Increased bank levy would mean increased bank fees so the public would end up paying again and again
@Ted Logan: very true my family in England cant believe the level of charges we pay here. my nephew even opens new accounts every time theres an offer and makes a couple of hundred a year. he has about 10 current accounts.
Is it just me or is the Journal really pushing Labour and the Greens lately? There’s been puff pieces for Howlin, comment pieces by Aodhan O’Riordan and a weekly column by the Green party one from Achill. What’s the story, Journal?
@De20: Well, as few here seem to like FF, FG, and SF … it looks like Journal now have to scrape the barrel to dig up the other parties to try and keep the readership happy.
Liebour , we will never forget ….
A vote for labour or the greens is essentially a vote for FFG. If they increase their vote take, they’ll immediately sell out and go with FFG. Past behavior is the best indicator of future behavior.
@Leo Massey: That is definitely going to happen as certain other parties are not serious about coalition. The voting public know this when they cast their vote. If you include gene pool independents along with FF/FG/Lab/GP they will have likely circa 75% to 85% between them come next election and some combination will form the next government. SD’s, SF, Sol/PBP and I4C are all going to stagnate or lose seats.
alex white junior minister of health was happy to put his hand up an vote to take away medical card for disabled children ,lost his seat . Too many labour tds left . How many months ago were these same party member voting to re elect enda kenny as Taoiseach till he dropped them . No morals with that bunch.
@Paul Garvey: They have morals all political parts do, the main one being, lie thru your teeth to get into power then treat the voter like they don’t exist.
As a full time Carer, Joan reduced my pay from £13000 to just under £12000. I will never forget
@Billyjoe Remarkable: No she did not. Joan never held any government position in the UK or Northern Ireland.
Forget it labour , your resigned to the history books. The electorate will never forgive you for shafting the people the last time you had your hands on the reigns.
@Gerard Cummins: And yet the electorate seems perfectly happy to forgive FF for driving the whole economy over a cliff. Strange eh.
@Shakka1244: Say what you want about FF but they never would have targeted the poor and vulnerable to the scale that Labour did.
@miju irl: What are you on about? Labour were a junior coalition partner in a FF government.
@Shakka1244: Is it not ironic the F.F. party who facilitated in the economic destruction of this country now keep in power the blueshirts who only made matters worse. So called Labour party contribution to this farce and becoming more blueshirt than the blueshirts was reflected in the last general election.
Lies
Would be nice if the article included details of what is in the headline. What are they actually proposing to do with tax credit for people on €100k+? Don’t forget somebody on that might be married and have joint assessment.
Can I just say: go away
ARE THEY STILL AROUND??????
So only the Greens are planning to do anything about public housing? Thanks, “Labour”.
@Fiona Fitzgerald: Banning bedsits was a great move go’on Eamo’
So if ya reverse the savage cuts you imposed over the last few budgets does that mean ya were wrong…. JOAN….? BRENDAN?
Once bitten… baby blueshirts
Good god is Joan brutal still around
Never trust labour again,they crucified working families when in government 2011-16,went as low as to take med cards off cancer patients and children with down’s syndrome.
Lock yourself away in a car somewhere Joan.
That will not affect RTÉ high earners who are paid through tax efficient “media companies “.
How am I supposed to maintain my Bentley? Pish Tosh
Hilarious. The 3 per cent margin of error party. Predict maybe 2 seats at next election.
They need to ditch all the old stagers like Howlin. Even Mickser D in the Aras has deserted them.
I rather eat my arm , than Vote for them clowns , who bought nothing of trowing the working people under the bus.And that C…nt questioning a person right to have a phone. Arresting a 15 year old boy at s water march were she was in fear of her life . She lied then she lies now , and her friend Pat Rabbit the Champaign socialist said it was ok to lie when in elections . Labour party meeds a Poice escort to go to working class estates ha ha . Labour do the decent thing and die as a party , good riddance to bad shite.
WHO.
Lock her in the boot of the car with Mary Lou the next time , I done this I done that she done F— all when she had the chance .
Hopefully this party stays irrelevant and consigned to political dustbin permanently.
Labour were more FG than FG themselves and seemed to be enjoying targeting the vulnerable with their savage cutbacks.
And all that Waffle from someone that wrecked about 90,000 pensions on people that retired after 2012 . She has no credibility, tell her “shut up” . Incidentally, the Doherty one promised to repair this damage but failed miserably, she only rectified about 30% of the pensions . They are all a sham, a joke, liars and tricksters.
Gilmore for Taoiseach!
The income tax currently levied here on so called high income earners is scandalous , there is absolutely no scope to increase it if the country in interested in giving risk takers even a marginal return or why bother
So does this include families that have 2 incomes of 55k. Or is it only single income families?
It’s great that these parties can come up with populist BS and not ever need to back it up.
It will also be interesting to see how long this green wave lasts when people see how much it hits them in the pocket. It’s one thing going do a big demonstration but another when their asked to pay.
They all promise the world until they get into power and none of it happens.
What’s the point? They won’t implement any of it if they get in.
And yet no one is doing anything about healthcare and housing.
Oh yeah.so who reduced the minimum wage a few years back.FF I recall.shameful act from the developers party
She is a despicable women to say the least !
Our high tax rate kicks in at one of the lowest amounts in Europe and they want us to pay more….
Well, the electorate forgave FF their sins, so they might forgive Labour theirs too!
@Josh Hanners: Thats what I find funny in the comments here, “we wont forget” yet they will run along and vote FF/FG…
@MickN: I will vote independent all the way, all of the parties are the same. A big charade in the Dail every week
“Frankfurt’s Way or Labour’s Way” or vice versa, ah the good old days when a few carefully timed quotes would soothe the masses. Politicians are like Snake oil salesmen in cheap suits turning up on our TV screens with an elixer that promises to cure all ill’s. Go away Joan, you had your chance and you thought the good times would keep rolling.
At least we don’t have to listen to her on the journal
Jaysus, Joan Burton looks rougher than a badgers arse
@Darren: It’s not Joan, it’s Mario Rosenstock.
Labour supported the removal of tax credits for tenants/ renters when they were in power. They forgot about their support base and wonder why they are nearly finished as a party!
Labour’s way or frankfurts way!!
Burton assistant calling water protestors the “dregs” of society. Burton saying the people of Ireland can afford things because they have a phone. NEVER FORGET what they were like in government…
Who pays the Bank Levies
Couples earning 100k are high net worth?
Labour are increasingly isolating themselves with these brainfarts
Labour we did not forget, but thank you for reminding us that we have an election around thd corner.My My you had a great chance previously.
The Green,s instead of looking smog abd looseing the run of yourselves should read the following attachment of what 500 Scienctists had to say in a letter to the United Nations in relation to Climate Change.
http://www.technocracy.news/climate-scientists-write-to-un-there-is-no-climate-emergency/
Previously i could not copy address
Labour we did not forget, but thank you for reminding us that we have an election around thd corner.My My you had a great chance previously.
The Green,s instead of looking smog abd looseing the run of yourselves should read the following attachment of what 500 Scienctists had to say in a letter to the United Nations in relation to Climate Change.
I’m going on Spotify tonight in case I hear her ranting
Why should the high earners be punished, again, for being smarter than the rest of the society? Tax and tax credits should be equal for everyone.
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