Jack O'Connor on Radio calling for higher taxes

[Informer]

If the FF/PD/GP/Ind regimes of the last 12 years hadn't gone a mad spree of lowering income taxes in order to buy votes, we would not be in this hot water. A sizeable portion of revenue income then coming from transaction based taxes (VAT, VRT, Stamp Duty, Customs & Excise...) instead of income taxes.

When people stopped spending of late the transaction based tax income has shrunk. Now they are trying to fix it by moving back to income taxes. How short sighted was this ? The state tax income depended on people shopping and consuming. Income taxes should never have lowered to the level that they were.

We are now paying the price for using lower taxes to buy the electorates votes. FG/Labour would probably have made the same mistake.

The fact that all countries have varying tax models, and are all epereincing some difficulty at the moment is testament to the fact that the low tax model did work. Where the government wrong was the crazy spending spree they went on. Low taxes work, and have worked. High rates of income tax are not a guarantee of higher tax revenue, as is being borne out today.

O Conner is the most regressive individual in Irish society. Backing up massive wage increases, while advocating even higher taxes on the most economically mobile. The man is living in cloud cookoo land

[TradCat]

We get public services (we can talk about quality elsewhere) but the people who deliver them are paid way in excess of what their jobs are worth on the open market. We are borrowing to fund the difference and we can't afford it.

If Jack O'Connor is right we simply have to raise taxes instead. But I'm sure he knows he is not right because the actual tax take would fall and there is no way of extracting enough tax to keep the public service at the rates they are on.

[mccafferty cat]

The most bizarre thing was that Aine Lawlor seemed to agree with Beardy O'Connor's assessment - ie. higher taxes on everyone in order to pay for a public sector that is over-manned to the tune of 20,000, and earning significantly more than their private sector equivalents

[DCon]

My guess is Lord O'Connor is looking for something like a new tax band of 50% at say €100k+

It sounds nice to say but is about as effective as a match in a hurricane.

I would say the proposed threshold (100K+) will be just below what he earns.

[Aindriu]

Ya a nice private one .
Drive on the road all the time and they are in sh1te ,
Called emergency only 3 months ago for my father he died of a heart attack on the way to hospital the nearest one was closed to emergency's it was debatable if it would have made a difference but it still leaves a bitter taste.

So don't lecture me on the state of the country.

Sorry for your troubles MMrebel.

I fully agree with you about the state of the roads. They recently redid Sandyford Road in Dublin. It was supposed to take 12 months. It took 20 months and they STILL haven't finished all the traffic lights etc! Other roads in the area it is like driving across building sites there are so many lumps, bumps and pot holes.

M50 - say no more!
Road tax is a rip off. We get sweet FA for it.

[mmrebel]

Sorry for your troubles MMrebel.

I fully agree with you about the state of the roads. They recently redid Sandyford Road in Dublin. It was supposed to take 12 months. It took 20 months and they STILL haven't finished all the traffic lights etc! Other roads in the area it is like driving across building sites there are so many lumps, bumps and pot holes.

M50 - say no more!
Road tax is a rip off. We get sweet FA for it.

Thank you .


The crux of the matter is value for money from goverment minsiters all the way down we do not get value for money.
The the whole time people were ranting and raving about the celtic tiger, and all the long the celtic tiger was being led by incompent baboons who couldnt run a hot bath.

[mccafferty cat]

Top of the list for An Bord Snip Nua: Jack O'Connor's beard

It's amazing how a man in a cushy job, who never did a days work in his life, can look like a hobo

[toughbutfair]

Anybody here think we can or should avoid laying off thousands of nurses,teachers,gardai, office workers etc?

[Munion]

Anybody here think we can or should avoid laying off thousands of nurses,teachers,gardai, office workers etc?

No we should not layoff nurses, teachers or gardaí

Plenty of fat to be trimmed in the admin area of the public service though. I'm personally looking forward to letting lots and lots of HSE middle management go.

[mmrebel]

Top of the list for An Bord Snip Nua: Jack O'Connor's beard

It's amazing how a man in a cushy job, who never did a days work in his life, can look like a hobo

What is it with those lefties and beards anyway , is it because when they shave they might be afraid of what they see in the mirror ? deep down the mega bucks they are taking home makesthem much more like the filthy rich capitalists they pretend to despise.