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The Daily PollTHE DUST IS beginning to settle on Budget 2023 and we’re all checking the impact it will have on our pockets.
The jury is out on what difference it will really make. Depending on where you stand, it’s either a giveaway Budget, one that will tackle the cost-of-living crisis, or one that will do little to change the big issues facing people in Ireland today.
You can catch up on everything you need to know about the Budget here.
This morning we’re asking: Do you think Budget 2023 was fair?
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My 22 year old graduate daughter asked me what’s the point in working in this country if she can be better off unemployed. There needs to be a balance unfortunately it weighs in favour of those who aren’t willing to work
@Michael: forgive me but how can she be better off unemployed? Minimum wage FT job is €397pw from Jan and dole is 220pw.
@Michael: People really need to get it into their head. It is not better to be unemployed, both financially, and more importantly, mentally.
@Michael: If you’re referring to the 12 euro boost to the Dole, let your daughter know that that doesn’t even fully cover how much inflation has reduced its buying power
@Michael: At 22 my graduate daughter knew that just isn’t true.
She’s probably hearing it at home.
@Anto Curran: 100 Euro a week in fuel to get to work, do the maths
@Anto Curran: Well you know well that 220 is just the headline amount there’s HAP, fuel allowance, and money for all sorts of things when your unemployed. 397 minus prsi, minus travel expenses, minus rent. Car loan, maintenance, insurance, I would safely say that yes if your only getting minimum wage you are most definitely better off on the dole. Also comparing someone who gets and extra 177 euro a week for working 40 hours and generally in the toughest jobs physically for that money to someone who won’t do anything for their money only constantly scrounge and moan about what everyone else is getting is extremely disingenuous. I know not all people are unemployed by choice but we do have an awful lot of career dolers on the constant mooch
@Anto Curran: & all the extras that go along with the dole?
@Michael: And the FFG bots on here constantly claiming that SF will discourage work by giving handouts to the idle and forgetting that their own parties are the only ones that have constantly been doing it in this country.
@Michael: My issue is that both myself and my wife are not from rich, privilaged backgrounds, have worked very hard to get what we have which isn’t by any means a luxurious lifestyle but other than the universal supports given to everyone we literally get no help from the state for any aspect of our daily lives.
Our eldest daughter has worked very hard over the last few years to get an excellant Leaving Cert, an Honours degree and is now doing a Masters which will lead to a good job and we haven’t received a cent of help from the state.
We get nothing for the working family, nothing for my daughter’s rent at college, nothing for post graduate education, no fuel allowance, nothing .
No doubt you are NOT better off in this country if you are unemployed but there’s no doubt either that many people choose not to work and scrounge off the state rather than getting off their behinds and making an honest living.
Improving your situation in life is very difficult and takes a lot of hard work but it’s the honest and right thing to do.
@Michael McGrath: as someone that’s just come off a year living on €156 per week, only €156. No add one for anything like you seem to think following on from 11 years as a full time carer I take exception to what you’ve said here. I got rid of my landline because I couldn’t justify it. I went onto a Tesco €10 sim only contract for years until my phone could no longer hold a charge. I paid €81 for my weeks shopping and this morning I paid €30 off my electric Ireland arrears and the rest towards the next bill so I don’t know where you think we’re all living high on the hog because we’re not. Perhaps you should teach your daughter that!
@Anto Curran: “Minimum wage FT job is €397pw from Jan and dole is 220pw.”
If you’re on minimum wage you also have to pay for transport and food not to mention the 40 – 50 hours a week you have to spend actually working.
If you’re drawing the dole all of your time is your own ie. you can earn on the side, cash in hand. I know many who are doing just that.
We need to introduce time limits on the dole. If you are genuinely looking for work you will not spend more then a year or two on welfare.
Apparently we have 15,000 on job seekers allowance for more then ten years. Everyone of those should lose their dole immediately. It’s a lifestyle choice and that option needs to be removed.
@Will: that’s all very nice if you live in Dublin but what if you live in the back side of nowhere down the country. You spend money on taxies or you drive. Well I don’t drive. And even if I had a listen earlier and could afford lessons I can’t afford to buy and run a car. So it’s taxis everywhere because public transport doesn’t exist in rural areas. So what hope do I have of getting a job, any job? I could work from home but I can’t get decent internet so if you can solve those two little problems for me I’d be happy to take a job gutting fish etc
@Will: that’s never going to happen. People are never going to be left with no money to survive, for food to feed kides etc. Every country will have x number of people who are happy eeking out a life on welfare and we’re no different. Let’s imagine we did cut off all basic supports from people who have never worked, what do you think is going to happen, will they suddenly become employable overnight or turn to crime? There are options whereby their payments could be linked to training or some CE type schemes and cut to the minimum if they don’t comply but they’ll never but cut off completely.
@Fallout Life: that’s disability allowance, different payment. On disability is not the same as being on the dole.
@Alan Richard Scott Jr.: They’re all core social welfare payments, they all get the 12 euro hike
@Michael: Tell your 22 year old graduate daughter that she’s not better off on the dole. And that she’s very fortunate to have had the opportunity to get an education. Most people on the dole never had that opportunity and have difficulty finding/keeping jobs.
@Anto Curran: Have you thought about other pecks on top of the €220?
Free health cost, very little rental payment, fuel subsidies, back to school allowance, ó fuel or travel cost. Think about it, you’ll see she is right.
@Anto Curran: Well my own daughter would have been better a stay at home mother of one knowing that she gave 70% of her salary to her landlord and 10% to the son’s undeclared keeper while she was working. The only positive point of having a job was feeling mentally ok
Social welfare increases again. No incentive for people to get off the dole go to work.
@Michael Clair: Social welfare increased less than inflation, its worth less in real terms than it was before. USC was adjusted so those on minimum wage still continue to not pay it. It’s more than fair that social welfare keeps up with the cost of living
@Dawid Grzybowski: social welfare isn’t dole only though.
@Dawid Grzybowski: my tax change is no where near inflation either and if you think most people are going to get rises this year to allow for inflation you mad
@Dawid Grzybowski: you name anyone apart from the TDs that got pay rises to match inflation this year and I’d say you would be scratching your head
@Dawid Grzybowski: The vast majority of workers will not be getting raises that keep pace with inflation. Suck it up, life’s tough!
@Michael McGrath: all 350,000+ public servants will get 6.5% if unions agree to pay proposal. TDs don’t and can’t set their own pay.
Was it fair to me? Yes, as I get an extra few quid in my wages.
Was it fair to everyone? Certainly not.
As best I can make out it gives something to everyone with more to those closest to the edge. Perfect is impossible, but this is a pretty good try.
@Steve O’Hara-Smith: agree
@Steve O’Hara-Smith: it’s not even close to a good try. Yes social welfare payments increased by €12 plus extra benefits, which is badly needed. But people working on a low wage like up to 30k, benefit by up to €3.67 a week and are excluded from the added benefits.
Yet someone earning 40k and up benefits by €15.97 per week again without any added benefits. Yet these people are better able to afford the cost of living increases than those on the 30k.
For a 33% increase in the wage you earn you benefited by 5 times that of the lower paid. If they were truly focused on helping those most in need the people on less than 30k should have had the greater help than those earning 40k plus.
@NotMyIreland: 40k+ or less all worker are still worse off as usual.
No the raise in social welfare should have been for those on disability who are physically unable to work or those who are currently sick. There should t be a Christmas bonus for someone who is on social welfare more than a year for those Who are not ill or currently disabled. Out of this budget I get my tax credit increased by 150 a year as a single man with no kids. This month government took about 400 from my salary in usc, prisi and paye. How am I supposed to save to start a business when, I’m paying rent higher bills and inflation on goods? There are some good things in the budget and you can’t please everyone. I get that but those who work should get looked after first as they are making sure there is tax coming into revenue. Also USC needs to go.
@Ciaran Burke: you need to ask yourself what would happen if we didn’t have social welfare for the people who can’t or won’t work…..increase in crime!!! It benefits society to help the unemployed. Obviously more is needed like providing wrap to support people obtaining work etc but community development is under funded which is ridiculous as it leads to better outcomes for rhe unemployed which in return benefits society.
@Ciaran Burke: The 12 euro increase is also for people on DA
Yes they are giving electricity credits but it would be much better if the price of electricity was kept down. The problem will continue so unfair when they are making so much profits and the gov wont penalize them as they are getting a share of the profit.
Its just like feeding a hungry man for a few days instead of helping him to feed himself.
@Jane Yazicioglu: The issue is that the Government putting a price freeze on electricity essentially means giving energy companies a blank cheque to charge what they want knowing the government will pick up the bill. That’s why Truss won’t specify how much that plan is going to cost in the UK
Working 40hrs+ apparently I gain wait for it………….€6…..yep €6 from the raise in tax band, hope it would have made more of a difference. Delight with the €600 credit but feel the bills will be so high it won’t make a difference to my outgoings. Putting the heating on is a treat these days!.
Everyone complaining about people on social welfare getting more, do they really? Simple maths with argue even with the increase in payment they will still be worse off due to inflation so its not a incentive to stay unemployed, the lack of supports for working is more of a incentive to stay unemployed.
Electricity should have been capped,USC scrapped for a few.
I want to see the breakdown per groupings of earners/social groups for oppositions budgets so we can compare where we would be under different governments..
@l: Problem is that other parties don’t publish costed budget proposals. So you can’t compare where you would be under different governments. It should be possible, but it isn’t.
@l: You are taking it for granted that the opposition would do what they say they would do. Big assumption that…..
@Justin Gillespie: currently opposition had costed all the rainy day money was to be spent prior to covid with nothingput aside. Imagine the s-storm we’d be in if that would have happened.
@l:
Including Politians, to see how much extra they have.
There has never been a budget to please everyone. The biggest concern about this budget is that the core issues of the cost of living haven’t been tackled. Petrol, Diesel & Kerosene are still very high, this should have been addressed. It’s costing people a fortune to get around and heat their homes.
We got money off our next 3 energy bills but what happens when the 4th bill comes? This is another cost that should have been tackled.
The can has been kicked down the road in hope that things will get better
That energy prices were not capped ensured its an unfair budget. The price gouging and record profits will continue long after those measly energy credits are used.
More low paid workers should have been made eligible for fuel allowance and medical cards. This would incentivise people on welfare to apply for these jobs.
@Benny McHale: fuel allowance criteria has been expanded, plus gp visit medical cards should now be available to anyone earning up to median wage (currently 40k)
For the first time ever I have done well out of it, Ciggies went up but that just encouraged me to give them up now. I think they should have pushed the higher bracket a bit more, Maybe 50K would be fair. Also the Tax free bonus going to 1,000 is appreciated. Getting a performance based bonus each year and seeing more of it going to the government than yourself is disheartening, I know not everyone gets these but still.
€2.82 a week extra in my wages. Nope, wasn’t fair for some but not all.
As usually good for rich and good for low income earner, middle class workers got nothing really.
@Karel Pumpernikel: nothing? Anyone on median wage gets €830 per annum, plus €600 electricity credit, free primary school books, 25% reduction in child care costs reduction in university fees, continuation of petrol and diesel excise reduction, continuation of public transport discount, removal of adult in patient charges etc
No sign of that 30% tax band they mentioned earlier?
@Brax Braxton: They ruled that out a good few weeks back.
@Brax Braxton: it was mentioned in the budget speech that work on it will be done in time for the 2023 summer economic statement
Haha ha, fair you say? The coalition muppets think they done extraordinary job, which is truly a joke. Lousy job across the whole thing. The real cost of living is much higher than their peanuts.
I think tax credits should have increased more than €75 as it benefits all workers, not just higher earners instead of raising the cut off point
@Dawid Grzybowski: Other than that it was better than expected. Reduction in student fees is welcome as well as the renters tax credits. More energy credits than expected as well but if the problem continues on to next year, something should be done about the prices
@Dawid Grzybowski: someone on 40k is hardly a high earner?
@Frank Carty: believe me, I wouldn’t turn it down!
A budget for those already on welfare and practically nothing for the actual worker’s of the country
Main fault is giving welfare increases across the board, those able bodied claiming dole for more than one year should have reductions year on year
If I were scoring it out of 10 I’d give it a 7.5. I don’t think anyone is going to be in a good position financially this year, working or on welfare, so people really shouldn’t be moaning at people on welfare. The system is the system, complain about it. Personally I’m not going to do well out of it at all, couple of quid. I’m happy about the 3 electricity credits. But some people on welfare (not all) are being helped. 2 double payments and 400 lump sum fuel allowance. But I would have liked to have seen major changes in how the fuel allowance is administered. Its now available to more OAPs but they will miss out on the 400 because if you were not previously eligible for fuel allowance but are now you can only apply for the payment starting in January. Until then you’re on your own.
People who do less get more…… Fair?
It’s fair if you sit on your butt all day doing nothing
have your say