Somehow, I can’t but feel a tinge of schadenfreude at the government’s dilemma as it tries to dig itself out of the hole it has created with the decision to end free medical care for citizens over the age of seventy, only to find itself stymied by the Competition Authority in its attempt to negotiate …
Tag Archive: Budget
Oct 17
A Stake In The Future
Within the next few weeks, I get to vote on the latest national pay deal, Towards 2016. The first paragraph speaks of ‘a dynamic, internationalised and participatory Irish society and economy, founded on a commitment to social justice and economic development that is both environmentally sustainable and internationally competitive’. Behind the lofty ideals is a …
Oct 16
Word Power
Let’s call a spade a spade. It’s not an income levy, it’s a tax increase. Depending on your income, Brian Lenihan just delivered you a tax increase of between up to two percent. The minister is faced with a hole in the public finances, and to close the gap between revenue and expenditure he has …
Oct 15
Heresy
Am I the only one thinking it? That can’t be the case. Then it must be that I’m the only one willing to say it out loud. This year, the government estimates it will collect around six billion euro in corporation tax, give or take a million. Next year, even with credit crunches and recessions …