Hare-brained tax cut idea will do nothing for working people
- Usual Fine Gael summer kite-flying getting boring
- Taoiseach accused of virtue-signalling
Labour finance spokesperson Ged Nash has criticised the pathetic kite-flying on tax cuts from Fine Gael.
Deputy Nash said:
“Last March, Leo Varadkar floated his 30% tax rate so it’s par for the course for Fine Gael to call for tax cuts this time of year.
“As the Ministers themselves admitted last week, the tax cuts proposed this time are not even costed. I expect these proposals will go the way of last years’ in due course and Minister McGrath will give the plan a decent burial.
“The proposal for what it’s worth doesn’t even do what it’s spun to do. It will disproportionately benefit the highest of earners and it will do absolutely nothing meaningful for real middle-income earners. This is virtue-signalling at its worst.
“While we are comfortable with the indexation of tax rates especially at a time of large surpluses, Labour has a totally different idea on how to use our macro-economic success – invest in the over 12,000 people currently living in homelessness and in transforming our health and social services.
“Everyone from the ESRI to the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council have advised against large inflationary cuts to taxes. It is especially wrongheaded when we are approaching technical full employment.
“The best way to support working households is not through tax cuts and a narrowing of the tax base but to provide targeted supports such as including more families in the Back to School Allowance and fuel allowance scheme through our sophisticated welfare and tax system, and cutting childcare costs for working parents.
“It’s clear that Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are spending more time in the corridors of Leinster House than they are knocking on doors and speaking to people about the issues facing them.
“People want to see meaningful investment in public services like healthcare and childcare.”