‘Squeezed middle’ tax cut priority for Budget – Leo Varadkar

29 comments
  1. My household is paying 830 euro less in income tax this year than last year thanks to last year’s budget. Similar again would be nice.

  2. How about you actually improve services in the country? People wouldn’t mind taxes if we got something for them.

    * Roads are a mess
    * Airports have huge delays
    * Health service has record wait times in A&E and for treatment
    * Passport office taking months for thousands of applications
    * NCT well that’s a 5 month wait
    * Not enough school places for children with special needs
    * Crime is becoming rampant in our cities & the judiciary are a soft touch
    * All climate goals are on target to be missed
    * Housing is unaffordable for most of the population that don’t already own a home.

    The list goes on and on and on but lets focus on tax cuts to try buy votes.

    The lack of leadership and effective policy is heartbreaking.

  3. Cutting taxes with the potential of a recession looming, making the hard choices I’m sure.

    Also, if there ever a year when the squeezed middle isn’t squeezed? Even when the economy was flying in pre-covid?

    Also, this is news to me:
    >They’ll often pay a fair whack of tax, but won’t qualify for many benefits from the State.

    Families don’t get a raft of benefits, supports and tax deductions already?

    What’s more fascinating is the unchanging and dogmatic outlook, ten years of FG budgets and 20% now in poverty…but somehow more of the same is meant to make things better.

  4. But Leo, younger couples are paying 20-30k annually on rent. Yet are told to accept this is perfectly fine and acceptable.

    Squeezed middle is bit of a shocked pikachu when its been government policy for almost 10 years…..

  5. Shocked to find a large portion of this sub is outraged at maybe having to *check notes* pay less tax, because of who is proposing it. Truly shocked.

  6. After a lifetime of FFG governments I can tell you that whatever tax cut FFG are proposing will be just enough to fuel their online trolls, not enough to make any significant difference in most PAYE workers lives and be clawed back in all sorts of less obvious ways which you will not be allowed to call taxes. Oh and for the love of Jesus and the wee donkey don’t call it populism. That would really upset the FG loyalists.

  7. I quite like these proposals.

    But a big priority should be raising the minimum wage, so that those who earn the least see the biggest benefits.

    The highest rate of income tax starts brutally early. The average uni graduate in Dublin is probably starting their first job already paying the highest rate on marginal income.

    I like paying tax. I recognise that my high-ish earnings are not just the result of skill, but also luck, so it is fair that a decent part of that income is shared around to give everyone equal chances. But the highest rate does seem to start brutally early.

  8. “families earning around €45,000 a year” are hardly considered the “middle class” nowdays right? Surely they are in the bracket of low income earners now?

  9. I’m currently earning 25k per year and don’t qualify for fuck all. Sure those on 45k Re paying more tax but they also earn more focus on helping everyone and things will get better.

  10. Oh cool, so you guys are going to raise taxes on multinational corporations to compensate for the drop in tax revenue in order to avoid putting yourself in a worse position for the next budget right? Right?

  11. Fuck right off Leo. Heard it all before and you royally fuck over the squeezed middle every fucking time and I am 100% positive you will do it again.
    What about the man getting up early to get to work? Sound familiar.

  12. This is just a bit of PR aimed at his base. These tax cuts won’t be implemented and he knows it.

    See for example this article from yesterday: https://www.independent.ie/business/irish/fine-gael-pushes-for-inflation-linked-tax-cuts-and-welfare-increases-to-fight-cost-of-living-crisis-41708399.html

    >However, Fianna Fáil has poured cold water on Mr Varadkar’s proposal by insisting it is “not a one-party Budget”. Taoiseach Micheál Martin’s party has also warned that the Budget will have to cater for a new public-sector pay deal which, for every 1pc rise in pay, will cost the ­Government €250 million.

    >A senior Fianna Fáil source said: “One party keeps banging this drum [about tax cuts] but there are three to decide.”

    He apparently doesn’t mention this in this interview.

  13. The “squeeze” isn’t from taxes it’s from high rents.

    Please I beg you. Build housing.

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