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The Code will provide parental controls for content which may 'impair the mental or moral development of children under 16' Alamy Stock Photo

Updated online safety code criticised for not addressing ‘toxic and harmful’ algorithms

Coimisiún na Meán’s Online Safety Code is a set of rules that will apply to video-sharing platforms who have their EU Headquarters in Ireland.

AN UPDATED DRAFT Online Safety Code has been criticised for not addressing “toxic” algorithms.

Coimisiún na Meán, Ireland’s online and broadcast media regulator, today published an updated draft following public consultation.

The final code will set binding rules that will apply to video-sharing platforms who have their EU Headquarters in Ireland.

Coimisiún na Meán has submitted the Code to the European Commission and once that process is complete, it will be applied later this year.

The final Code will be part of Coimisiún na Meán’s overall Online Safety Framework, which aims to make digital services legally accountable for how they protect people, especially children, from harm online.

The code will introduce obligations on video-sharing platforms that prohibit uploading or sharing harmful content, including cyberbullying.

It will also prohibit the promotion of self-harm or eating disorders, as well as prohibit incitement to hatred or violence.

The code will also require platforms to use age verification measures to prevent children from encountering pornography or violent videos.

It will also provide parental controls for content which may “impair the physical, mental, or moral development of children under 16”.

Coimisiún na Meán said the code will give it the tools to address the root causes of harm online, including the availability of illegal content, and inadequate protections for children on social media services.

The Online Safety Commissioner, Niamh Hodnett, said the updated Code “is an important step forward to hold platforms to account for keeping people safe online”.

However, the Code has been criticised by CyberSafeKids for not addressing “toxic” algorithms.

The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) said it is “disappointed that measures to address toxic algorithms have been removed from the Online Safety Code”, and noted that a previous draft included requirements to turn off recommender systems.

The recommender system is an algorithm that uses data to suggest items that a social media user might be interested in.

An ICCL spokesperson said recommender systems “push hate and extremism into people’s feeds and inject content that glorifies self-harm and suicide into children’s feeds”.

ICCL Senior Fellow Dr Johnny Ryan called it a “dangerous U-turn” and added that social media users should be given the “freedom to decide for themselves whether they can be profiled and fed algorithmic content”.

And while CyberSafeKids welcomed the Code described it as a “landmark development”, it also expressed concern at “the fact this code does not address the recommender system”.

A spokesperson for CyberSafeKids, an Irish charity which works to help children, parents and teachers navigate the online world, said a lot of “harmful content coming through a child’s feed originates from this algorithm”.

The spokesperson added that at times, the social media feeds of children and young people are “overwhelmed” by harmful content, and they called for this to be “meaningfully addressed”.

The Code also prohibits platforms from processing children’s data for commercial reasons, but CyberSafeKids said it is concerned that video-sharing platforms “will find ways to circumvent this if possible”.

And when deciding on a user suspension, a video-sharing platform is obliged by the Code to assess cases in a “timely, diligent and objective manner”.

CyberSafeKids said this “lacks the specific parameters we believe are necessary”.

Online campaigning platform Uplift also criticised the Code for not addressing “toxic” algorithms.

Its director Siobhán O’Donoghue said this was an opportunity to “change to the rules for how suggested content is directed at social media users”.

“Turning off recommender systems by default would mean that these profit hungry platforms can’t just decide to flood teenage girls with weight loss content or push porn and gambling content at young men or abusive content targeting election candidates that spreads like wildfire on social media,” said O’Donoghue.

She said a move to “force” video-sharing platforms to “stop automatically sending content based on your personal information, and instead giving users the choice to decide what you, would have been a game changer”.

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    Mute richardmccarthy
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    Oct 2nd 2013, 6:33 PM

    And after all that, we still had to borrow 7 billion euro in the first 9 months of the year to ballance the budget,in other words we still are spending far more on running the country than we earn,unlike the households up and down the country who have no choice but just cut spending,the government thinks taking money out of from peoples pockets in taxes and charges is the answer,even somebody with only a basic knowlege of economics knows this is not the answer.

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    Mute Sean O'Keeffe
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    Oct 2nd 2013, 7:15 PM

    Well they have “succeeded” in reducing spending by 2% since the crisis began. Even if many spending cuts are revenue raising measures like increased charges for access to healthcare services.

    45
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    Mute Declan Conway
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    Oct 2nd 2013, 7:44 PM

    You’re right.

    Public sector pay, welfare and benefits all ballooned under FF as it cynically issued give-away budget after budget to retain power.

    Since then, they and the FG/Lab coalition have supported the bulk of those increases from the tax payer.

    We’re also set for growth of only 0.5-1% for the next 20 years as the ECB/Germany will not allow us to inflate our public and private debts away.
    Oh, and they will increase interest rates at the earliest signs of inflation. Germany will see to that.

    We have two choices – another bail-out (bail-in) or bring back the punt and devalue.

    Looks like the former as our political class do not have the balls or the backbone they were born with.

    60
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    Mute Scrap Croke Park1
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    Oct 2nd 2013, 8:24 PM

    Aside from the creation of countless Quangos, FF’s other legacy was wholesale promotions across the PS.

    This has resulted in a top heavy expensive civil service. They need to revert back to 1995 levels of management. This would mean laying off through appropriate redundancy or demoting thousands of APs POs and HEOs. Most of these folks have skills transferable to the private sector – that is why we pay them so much isint it?

    They could then start recruiting again at entry level.

    Either way, we need to reduce numbers and cost of the public service. It’s better for everyone including the PS. The bigger the private tax payer base the more you can pay PS

    66
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    Mute Jazz O'Gorman
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    Oct 2nd 2013, 10:30 PM

    But that won’t stop the electorate putting them right back up there again, the nurses love them.

    14
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    Mute Scrap Croke Park1
    Favourite Scrap Croke Park1
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    Oct 2nd 2013, 6:20 PM

    To support growth and job creation:

    Lay off 80,000 Quango workers and replace our income tax system with a flat 15% tax on all income. Abolish all tax shelters. Smaller government = smaller taxes

    163
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    Mute Sean O'Keeffe
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    Oct 2nd 2013, 7:08 PM

    Amen !

    52
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    Mute sean fitzgearld
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    Oct 2nd 2013, 7:21 PM

    The Seanad is our biggest quango get rid of them first

    57
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    Mute Colm Moylette
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    Oct 2nd 2013, 9:23 PM

    Got it in one…something so simple would do dept of finance pen pushers out of a job though. VAT should be 15% across the board as well

    45
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    Mute Scrap Croke Park1
    Favourite Scrap Croke Park1
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    Oct 2nd 2013, 9:32 PM

    Vat, VRT, DIRT, Capital Gains. All 15%

    100% compliance. 150% competitive

    50
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    Mute margaret
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    Oct 2nd 2013, 9:39 PM

    Amen, amen.

    23
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    Mute Sean O'Keeffe
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    Oct 2nd 2013, 9:54 PM

    Scrap for Minister of Finance!

    29
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    Mute Scrap Croke Park1
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    Oct 2nd 2013, 10:07 PM

    Thnx Sean. Was eyeing up the Taoiseach’s job actually. Lol

    18
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    Mute Paul Furey
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    Oct 2nd 2013, 10:21 PM

    Yaaaay I heard its only €3.09bn.

    17
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    Mute Doris Phelan
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    Oct 2nd 2013, 11:38 PM

    Quite simply scrap the goverment aswell as the senate

    10
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    Mute Ignoreland
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    Oct 2nd 2013, 11:55 PM

    A flat 15% tax rate is border line immoral. You’re taxing the poor the same proportion at the same rate as the rich and just going to increase the inequality in Irish society. Not to mention the fact that your calculations were just made up in your head or at best done on the back of an envelope.

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    Mute Scrap Croke Park1
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    Oct 3rd 2013, 12:03 AM

    I’ve done the figures. It’s imminently doable. You want more money try working for it

    23
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    Mute Colm Moylette
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    Oct 3rd 2013, 3:19 AM

    How is a flat 15% tax rate immoral?

    Earn or spend €10,000 per annum pay €1,500 tax.
    Earn or spend €100,000 per annum pay €15,000 tax.

    20
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    Mute censored
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    Oct 3rd 2013, 3:41 AM

    It’s immoral because Marx said so.

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    Mute Sean O'Keeffe
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    Oct 3rd 2013, 6:46 AM

    After decades of subjecting its population to Marxist induced poverty and depravation Russia abandoned the fallacious teachings of Marx.
    In 2001, Russia opted for a flat tax regime. This initiative has been described an “astounding success”. It increased the Russian tax take by 50% in its first two years and been imitated by a dozen other European nations. It has lifted more Russians out of poverty than 8 decades of Marxism.

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    Mute Sean O'Keeffe
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    Oct 3rd 2013, 6:47 AM
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    Mute Eric Davies
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    Oct 3rd 2013, 11:19 AM

    you shouldn’t listen to groucho, he’s a joker!

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    Mute Ignoreland
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    Oct 3rd 2013, 6:18 PM

    It’s immoral because a greater percentage of a poor person’s income goes on necessary items: food, clothing, light, heat, etc. So taking 15% impacts on them more than 15% of a rich person’s income. And no, not Marx. How about John Stewart Mill.

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    Mute Ignoreland
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    Oct 3rd 2013, 6:19 PM

    Also the amount of strawman arguments on this comment section is ridiculous. Suggest a progressive system of taxation and suddenly you’re a Marxist? How about you all go back to watching Fox News.

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    Mute Ignoreland
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    Oct 3rd 2013, 6:22 PM

    And finally, Scraps 15 15 15 idea sounds remarkably like Heran Cain’s 999 idea. And that didn’t end up to well either.

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    Mute Scrap Croke Park1
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    Oct 3rd 2013, 6:54 PM

    Ignore. I accept your argument on a person with lower income spends a higher proportion of income on food. Which is why my proposal includes a generous graduated tax credit based on the number of dependents on that salary. I have this set at €1560 per person per year, decreasing the more u earn. I’ll publish full details some day

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    Mute Sean O'Keeffe
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    Oct 3rd 2013, 7:41 PM

    “Both in England and on the Continent a graduated property tax (l’impôt progressif) has been advocated, on the avowed ground that the state should use the instrument of taxation as a means of mitigating the inequalities of wealth. I am as desirous as any one that means should be taken to diminish those inequalities, but not so as to relieve the prodigal at the expense of the prudent. To tax the larger incomes at a higher percentage than the smaller is to lay a tax on industry and economy; to impose a penalty on people for having worked harder and saved more than their neighbours. It is not the fortunes which are earned, but those which are unearned, that it is for the public good to place under limitation. A just and wise legislation would abstain from holding out motives for dissipating rather than saving the earnings of honest exertion”

    Principles of Political Economy with some of their Applications to Social Philosophy (Book 5, Chapter 2) John Stuart Mill

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    Mute Ignoreland
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    Oct 4th 2013, 2:44 AM

    So you’re quoting Principals of Political Economy yet leaving out Mills’ famous statement on equality of sacrifice?
    “As government ought to make no distinction of persons or classes in the strength of their claims on it, whatever sacrifices it requires from them should be made to bear as nearly as possible with the same pressure upon all… Equality of taxation, therefore as a maxim of politics means equality of SACRIFICE” (1848, p804)

    1
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    Mute Declan OGrady
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    Oct 2nd 2013, 7:36 PM

    So what is there to look forward to in 2014. Full property tax payment at Xmas time 2013. Water tax starting in Sept assuming they don’t fu@@ that up too. Job creation only in Dublin, Cork or Galway as the rest of the country is totally abandoned. Well done FG/Labour

    66
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    Mute Martin
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    Oct 2nd 2013, 6:34 PM

    Great man is noonan ,great man to talk shite that is

    62
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    Mute Nigel O Keeffe
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    Oct 2nd 2013, 7:10 PM

    165 million less vat..would i be right in thinking that equates to about a billion less spent in the real economy?
    recovery…new jobs..blah blah..

    53
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    Mute Johnny Reynolds
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    Oct 2nd 2013, 7:28 PM

    €874 million saved on SW. How many people is that, who were claiming SW, that emigrated?

    53
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    Mute Alan mulvey
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    Oct 2nd 2013, 8:56 PM

    Think ahe said this morning on the radio 10000 people on sw is 95 million a year

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    Mute Catherine Keogh
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    Oct 2nd 2013, 6:53 PM

    I would find it hard to trust them with monopoly money

    46
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    Mute Connaughtabu
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    Oct 2nd 2013, 7:19 PM

    Thanks for the heads-up, Micheál, a bhuchaill, sure you’re doing a massive job there!

    All those press releases from the Central Bank (more austerity), Labour [except for Enda's-little-Rotweiler] (less austerity), fekkin ex-IMF officials stirring it fekkin up ( less austerity), Colm McCarthy of an Bord Snip fame (lots more austerity), orchestrating your good-news announcement cannot have been easy!

    A few words of caution:
    €3,100,000,000 or €2,500,000,000 more austerity heaped on years of cuts will only lead to one thing – poverty; raw; hungry children at school; house repossession; sleeping rough in Dublin streets; mother shoplifting; doctor and dentist appointment avoiding type poverty.

    36
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    Mute Leslie Alan Rock
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    Oct 2nd 2013, 9:00 PM

    Anybody seen hogan about recently? Oh its referendum time. Hes about as rare a halleys comet

    34
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    Mute Sexy Taoiseach
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    Oct 2nd 2013, 8:33 PM

    Spending down it shows we are worse off . This is awful news not one bit of good news.

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    Mute Mike Clinton
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    Oct 2nd 2013, 8:57 PM

    Two words…. “Animal farm”

    30
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    Mute Tony Slap
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    Oct 2nd 2013, 6:22 PM

    ‘what Noonan being taking to come out with such a statement’. What have you been taking to write such a sentence?

    28
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    Mute justasheedy
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    Oct 2nd 2013, 9:11 PM

    Fair enough noonan but you’ll still hit the ones that can’t afford to pay any more as its been for all your budgets before

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    Mute Kerry Blake
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    Oct 2nd 2013, 5:56 PM

    “to support growth and job creation” what Noonan being taking to come out with such a statement.

    21
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    Mute Morticia
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    Oct 2nd 2013, 8:52 PM

    Obamacare !! thats the answer.

    12
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    Mute B9xiRspG
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    Oct 2nd 2013, 10:20 PM

    Probably come in at 3.0999 knowing that lying pr$#&

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    Mute John B. Reid
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    Oct 3rd 2013, 1:00 AM

    So in other words, Noonan is planning to prolong the economic pain by shirking, this year, the difficult decisions regarding government spending?

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    Mute benny dowling
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    Oct 3rd 2013, 8:32 AM

    The eurozone is still in dire straits…ireland,greece,italy,spain,portugal,france are all in financial trouble…if we remain in the euro our ability to set our own tax policies will be gradually taken away …europe is becoming one big federal state

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    Mute Thomas Murtagh
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    Oct 3rd 2013, 8:19 AM

    The big problem for the economy is that people have no money to spend. Unless that happens we will have high unemployment and the trend continues. Our country is more worried about pleasing Europe than keeping its citizens happy. Give everyone 20 k that must be spent in Ireland and watch the economy recover.

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    Mute Eric Davies
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    Oct 3rd 2013, 11:28 AM

    @thomas murtagh sorry thomas slight alteration there, it’s not “our country” that only cares about pleasing europe, its our politicians, i reckon most of the country couldnt give 2 shits about europe or the imf, troika or merkal, were too worried about trying to put enough food on our tables, worried about keeping warm this winter, worried about keeping a roof over our heads.
    i wish the referendum was about abolishing the euro, i’d certainly be voting ‘yes’ !

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    Mute Jack Jack
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    Oct 3rd 2013, 12:12 AM

    Yippie!

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    Mute Francis Gorman
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    Oct 3rd 2013, 11:09 AM

    Ah sure that’s great news we can all relax now no need to worry were just hanging a the 3billion mark.

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    Mute Donal O Neil
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    Oct 3rd 2013, 6:39 PM

    When you look back at all the “temporary taxes” that have been imposed over the years USC etc and isn’t temporary meant to be a short while not silently joined together with other temporary taxes and then making them permanent . Is there any good financial accountant out there who can go though all these temp taxes and write them down . Then we can advise Michael Abu to stop the temporary taxes now cause we are ” recovering ” . How on earth can you get the country back on its feet when your not giving people the chance to have MORE spare cash in there pockets . If you reduce the VAT to 15% across the board , clothes . Fuel . Food shoes etc would be much cheaper and people would buy more stuff and over a longer period your gather the same amount of euros and simply encourage more spending . This would help the retailers , the suppliers and eventually the people . The ordinary man now is too scared to spend anything cause he doesn’t know what’s around the corner or when his next new tax will hit .

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