The Government has failed to adequately support low- and middle-income workers and renters in Budget 2023, according to Laois-Offaly Sinn Fein TD Brian Stanley.
Deputy Stanley has hit out at the “failure to introduce a rent freeze” and said that “despite committing large amounts of public money (in this Budget), this Government failed to put it where its most needed”.
“Failure to introduce a rent freeze ensures that renters will continue to face financial uncertainty going forward as landlords will use the tax credit to hike rents,” said Deputy Stanley.
“Sinn Féin has long advocated for renters to receive a one month’s tax credit but this must be accompanied with a rent freeze.
“The budget provides for no additional social and affordable homes to purchase.
“The provision of these units are essential components for resolving the housing crisis. Instead, the Government has written another blank cheque to landlords through an increase of €97 Million in rent subsidies.
“Rent supports should only be a short-term measure.’’
And Deputy Stanley has also hit out at what he calls a “derisory” increase in the minimum wage.
“The lowest paid workers have received a derisory 80 cent increase in the minimum wage that does not even keep up with inflation.
“Sinn Féin called for a €1.40 increase in line with our plans to reach a living wage by the end of 2023.
“The Government’s income tax changes also fail to benefit lower income workers.
“According to the CSO, the median wage in Ireland is €36,095 meaning that less than 50% of workers will receive no benefit from the higher tax threshold moving from €36,800 to €40,000. Sinn Féin would have reduced USC and tapered it so low- and middle-income workers benefited the most.”
And Deputy Stanley says that “the budget does nothing to deal with the root cause of the energy price crisis”.
“Instead, the Government is writing a blank cheque. The energy credits for households will again be pocketed by the energy companies.
“Sinn Féin wanted to cap energy prices and introduce a windfall tax to ensure that energy companies would be financially penalised for price gouging.
“In Health, Sinn Féin welcomes the Government’s decision to adopt our long-advocated proposal to expand the GP visit card.
“But there are no targets to address the crisis in our hospital system. There are no figures for additional critical care beds in the budget despite Ireland being well below the EU average.
“Sinn Féin’s alternative budget commits to rapidly expanding our hospital capacity with 500 extra beds plus 37 additional ICU beds.”
Meanwhile, Independent TD for Laois Offaly, Carol Nolan, has said that while many of the measures announced in yesterday’s Budget will have a limited impact on family carers; the decision not to reform the means test approach to eligibility is a significant disappointment.
Deputy Nolan was speaking after it was confirmed that carers will receive a €12 increase in the weekly rate of Carer’s Allowance and Carer’s Benefit, a €20 rise in Domiciliary Care Allowance, a €500 once-off payment in November to those in receipt of the Carer’s Support Grant and a double “cost of living” social welfare payment in October.
However, Family Carers Ireland which represents 500,000 carers across the state described the measures as lacking in long-term strategic ambition:
“I made it a core priority in my own pre-Budget submission to have the means test system that is currently applied to those seeking a carers payment thoroughly reformed,” said Deputy Nolan.
“That did not happen as Government chose instead to tinker around the edges instead of offering a more substantial vision of how it wants to properly respect those who save this state tens of billions of euros each year,” said Deputy Nolan.
“What this will mean is that many families who are in dire need of access to carer supported respite services will continue to be locked out because they are marginally above the income threshold. This is unacceptable and it must be reviewed.”
“I also have serious concerns about the level of increase to the Carer’s Allowance and Carer’s Benefit as we know from both the ESRI and from the Tax Strategy Group paper on Social Protection that even a €15 increase would not have been sufficient to keep pace with inflation.
“I and my colleagues in the Rural Independent Group called for €20 increase across the board. Government chose to offer carers €12 which is going to be eaten up in cost of living rises.”
“I acknowledge that Government have made some welcome progress in how it treats our carers but at the fundamental level the approach is just more of the same.
“There has been no change to the expectation that carers and their families will continue to bear the burden and the cost of being a parallel health care system,” concluded Deputy Nolan.
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