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SEVEN OUT OF 10 Irish voters want the USC to be scrapped before the next general election, according to a new poll.
The new poll from the Business Post and Red C found that voters across the political spectrum want to see the controversial tax abolished.
Some 69% of those polled wish to see the USC scrapped within the lifetime of the current government. Nine per cent disagreed with this statement and 22% were unsure.
When broken down by party affiliations, the majority of Fine Gael voters (65%), Fianna Fáil voters (74%) and Sinn Féin voters (76%) supported the abolition of the tax.
None of those three parties are in favour of abolishing it. Fianna Fáil members rejected a motion to support scrapping the tax at the party’s Ard Fheis last year.
Fine Gael committed to abolishing the USC during the 2016 general election campaign. The party has since dropped this stance, instead merging the USC with the PRSI levy after the 2016 election.
Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar has more recently said there are no plans to scrap the charge.
Speaking in the Dáil last year, he said: “In the context of people calling for measures earlier such as the abolition of the USC, for example, or much better packages than the Government can do today, we must not forget … that we owe a quarter of a trillion euro.
“We cannot lose sight of that. It may have appeared that there is no limitation on Government spending in recent years, but that is not true and that is going to come back to affect us.”
He also told The Journal in an interview last year that it would be “extremely expensive” to get rid of the USC. He said raising the threshold at which people pay the higher rate of the charge was an option, but not a commitment.
Sinn Féin pledged as part of its 2020 election campaign to raise the threshold under which people are exempt from paying the charge from €13,000 to €30,000.
The USC currently brings in over €4 billion a year for the Exchequer.
It was introduced in 2011, replacing both the income levy and the health levy (also known as the health contribution) from 1 January 2011. The threshold for exemption was initially €4,004 in gross income.
This was raised in the following years, to €10,036 in 2013 and to €12,012 in 2014.
The income level at which people pay the higher rate of USC has also been raised since it was introduced.
The USC was sometimes called “the bailout tax” as it was brought in shortly after Irish banks were bailed out by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Union.
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I am sure that it was Erskine Childers snr and not his son, president Childers that was the author of riddle of the sands. He was also part of the delegation that negotiated the Anglo Irish agreement following the war of independence.
That’s what I thought too when I first read that.
It was actually Erskine Childers’ father who was executed in 1922, that wrote The Riddle of the Sands. Great article tho Sinead and god knows Darby O Gill was the ultimate in paddywhackery !!
It was Erskine Childer’s father who was the writer.
Hillery’s golf handicap sums up his presidency
It’s well known that De Valera,as Taoiseach, went to the German embassy and offered condolences to the Nazis on the death of Adolf Hitler.
I never knew that President Douglas Hyde did the same thing.
Ireland’s best kept dirty secret?
Not a ‘dirty secret’ – as a neutral country, Hyde was acting appropriately as Head of State rather than expressing a personal view
Research fail…
What a horrible Americanism If you are american I forgive you
@fitszpatrick
How is “X fail” an Americanism? I has thought it was more of an Internetism. Fail is the opposite of win and both can be used as nouns.
In other news, what horrible capitalisation and lack of punctuation. If you are under the age of ten, I forgive you.
Like ur fail is the opposite of succeed and lose is the opposite of win. Enough already Eva. If you are woman I forgive you
No mention of the “small joke” which JFK cracked in the Dáil and which so annoyed Dev. What was it?
Hi Pete,
Thanks for your comment. The story was told by Ryan Tubridy in his JFK in Ireland book last year. He discovered that de Valera had wiped the offending part of JFK’s address to the Dáil from the record – quite extraordinary!
The “joke” was a reference to Lord Edward Fitzgerald’s line “Leinster House does not inspire the brightest ideas.”
JFK seemingly meant it as a light hearted quip, as he added, “that was a long time ago, however”. It wasn’t enough to appease Dev, according to Seán Lemass, who heard him tell the young American that “he had done no service to Irish politicians by this quotation”.
The whole story (is a bit longer than this – so wasn’t really suitable for this article) can be read in that book if you’re interested. Hope this answers your question.
Thanks again for your feedback.
Best,
Sinead
It is also ironic that Erskine Childers was executed by the Free State government for possession of a pistol that was a gift from Michael Collins.
Where’s the explanation of the caption under the picture?
Brutal work.
Hi
Thanks for your comment. The story was told by Ryan Tubridy in his JFK in Ireland book last year. He discovered that de Valera had wiped the offending part of JFK’s address to the Dáil from the record – quite extraordinary!
The “joke” was a reference to Lord Edward Fitzgerald’s line “Leinster House does not inspire the brightest ideas.”
JFK seemingly meant it as a light hearted quip, as he added, “that was a long time ago, however”. It wasn’t enough to appease Dev, according to Seán Lemass, who heard him tell the young American that “he had done no service to Irish politicians by this quotation”.
The whole story (is a bit longer than this – so wasn’t really suitable for this article) can be read in that book if you’re interested. Hope this answers your question.
Sinead
Nothing wrong with Darby O’Gills and the Little People.
It’s a fine Cork pub.
“One of the last presidential acts of Douglas Hyde was to visit the German ambassador Eduard Hempel on May 3, 1945. During the visit, which remained a secret until 2005, he reportedly offered his condolences on the death of Adolf Hitler.”
It did not ‘remain a secret until 2005′. It was widely known and circulated at the time and afterwards. It was common knowlege when I was growing up, learning history at secondary school and subsequently at third level. In case you’re wondering I’m no six year old.
Anyone got video of Mary Robinson on the Den? looks like it was in The Best Bits of the Den DVD
Noth
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