Budget does not deliver for working class families
5 Dec 2007
ICTU News Release - Budget 2008 Response
Congress today expressed disappointment with Budget 2008 because it did not deliver for working families and prioritised economic needs over social necessities.
Congress General Secretary David Begg said the Budget had failed to insulate peoples' incomes from price rises, in particular the worrying increases in the price of food.
"This was an overly and unnecessarily cautious Budget that did not deliver for working people. Congress had called for a reforming budget that prioritised the needs of working families, both in terms of protecting their incomes and improving the supports and systems upon which they depend.
"The Budget did not deliver the level of reform required. For example, there was nothing on one of the most crucial problems facing the country - the urgent need to upskill and retrain people: the Minister prioritised bankrolling research and innovation rather than investing in people to secure their futures. This issue has been brought into sharp relief by recent closures - our future competitive advantage will be based on high skills, not low taxes.
"Equally, there was nothing substantial on childcare, a cost which is crippling working families with some couples paying out up to €28,000 a year. We also saw a real failure in public transport, with the huge bulk of transport spend devoted to the road network.
"This country suffers from a serious deficiency in terms of public transport, something which impacts disproportionately on working people.
"Worryingly, changes to tax bands and credits make no real difference to the vast majority of workers - mid earners - with an annual income of between €30,000-45,000 per annum.
"Likewise, the increases to social welfare fall short of what was required.
"Overall, the Minister has failed to effect the changes necessary to rebalance social and economic development and particularly to do what he himself declared was the main purpose Budget 2008 - to support working people.
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