Ireland is a rich country. Yet, for so many people in our society, Ireland is not
working.

The housing model is broken. Vital climate targets are being missed. The cost of
childcare is soaring. Low pay leaves many unable to make ends meet. Secure jobs
and decent work are threatened by a compounding energy crisis.

And now, the unprecedented cost of living crisis will see half of Irish families
struggling to keep the lights on this winter.

These crises are strongly interlinked. They pose a fundamental – and sometimes
existential – risk to our capacity to live. That is why this Budget must be generous,
and must be seen through the lens of climate action. This Budget, and all future
annual Budgets, must be drafted in a way that robustly addresses the Climate
Emergency which was officially recognised by Dáil Éireann in 2019.

This government will be judged whether it helps households through this winter
and, critically, whether it chooses to help those who have the least.
This isn’t the 1970s. Neither is it the late-2000s nor the early-2010s.
The difference is, in 2022, thanks to the work of people in Ireland, we have the
money to fix the problems that hold Ireland back. The money to prevent families
from facing into this difficult winter with anxiety, fear, and hopelessness.

Record income tax and corporation tax gains have afforded this government
choices – choices we could only have dreamt of during the last economic crisis.
Government is about these political choices. Good GDP and exchequer figures
alone won’t heat homes or put food on the table. Putting state money and the
windfall profits of energy companies to good use will.

On care. On climate. On housing. On jobs and work.
Labour wants an Ireland that works for everyone.

 

Click here to view Labour’s budget proposal for 2023.