Jack O'Connor on Radio calling for higher taxes

[NoPropertyTax]

I was listening to Jack O'Connor the SIPTU leader, and (I think) new ICTU president on the radio just now, calling for higher taxes. Now to me a union leader asking for higher taxes is just the same as a union leader calling for employers to cut wages, because at the end of the day thats what it will end up meaning for ordinary workers.
Whether its a property tax, or a rise in income tax, or a direct wage cut by their employers, it ends up meaning the exact same thing to ordinary workers - a cut or drop in their take home disposable income.
To my mind the Union leaders should be doing all they can to protect and defend their members take home disposable incomes now, and not asking for them to be cut.
And if tax rises do come in, then I want my union to seek higher wages to compensate for the loss of income they cause.
What do other people think ? Any other union members feel unhappy that union leaders are calling for higher taxes ?

[Ronanr]

If you listened carefully, he was actually just calling for higher taxes on "the rich".

Now how "the rich" are defined is another question, but I think one can safely say that no minimum wage workers would be paying any more tax in Jack O'Connor's fantasy Budget.

[red-365]

...a union leader asking for higher taxes is just the same as a union leader calling for employers to cut wages, because at the end of the day thats what it will end up meaning for ordinary workers. ?

Except that you get something in return for your taxes, ie public services

[mmrebel]

Except that you get something in return for your taxes, ie public services

Your taking the mick right ? public service in this country is non existent it should be called self service because the only people they seem to look after are themselves.

[Gimpanzee]

Except that you get something in return for your taxes, ie public services

Awwww. Public services. Right up there with puppies, world peace and mom's apple pie.

[amblincork]

Your taking the mick right ? public service in this country is non existent it should be called self service because the only people they seem to look after are themselves.

There may be arguemants about the quality and cost of public services but to say they are non existent is so silly as to make your contributions pointless.

[Clanrickard]

Tax cuts are what are needed in a downturn to stimulate the economy.

[SilverLining]

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.

[NoPropertyTax]

Except that you get something in return for your taxes, ie public services

Normally I'd say yes, but the current government are using our tax money to bail out the property developers and bankers. Thats why a lot of people are angry about paying higher taxes and leavies now. Fair enough if the government were to say we're raising taxes by 1000 a year, but for that everyone in the country will get totally free healthcare. But there not, they are just raising taxes to fund NAMA and plug the whole in the budget that they allowed to develop.

[atlantic]

Complete rubbish ones , with no value for money.

Except that you get something in return for your taxes, ie public services