Sinn Féin - Emergency Budget Submissions

[Northside Provisional]

Sinn Féin today launched an Emergency Budget Submission

Sinn Féin Launch Emergency Budget Submission : Sinn Féin

The main points included are as follows:

Public finance proposals

“The crisis in public finances needs to be addressed but it needs to be done in a fair and effective way. We believe that the vast majority of workers are willing to contribute but they are not willing to shoulder an unfair share of the burden. Sinn Féin believes that:
• Those earning the minimum wage should be kept out of the tax net and those on low-to-middle incomes protected.
• Social welfare payments must not be cut – a person on a weekly payment of €204 cannot be asked to carry the can for this government’s failure.
• Waste and duplication must be eradicated in the public sector, but frontline services must be protected.
• Borrowing must be strategic and, as in other states, an acceptable method of financing infrastructure.
• There must be tax justice – everyone must pay their fair share, there can be no exile status or legal evasion, tax defaulters should be vigorously pursued.

Revenue raising – Total 2009 €2.460 billion – Total Full Year €4.119 billion

We would introduce a range of tax measures which would generate €2.460 billion over the next seven months and €4.119 billion over a full year. These include:
• Make all discretionary tax relief schemes available only at the standard rate; exceptions should be made only if there is a proven benefit to the Exchequer. 2009 - €600 million. Full year €1 billion
• Abolish the PRSI ceiling and raise PRSI on employees by 1%. 2009 – €563 million. Full year - €950. According to the government the Social Insurance Fund will run out by the end of the year. PRSI is ringfenced to ensure that the money is there to meet unemployment benefit, contributory and non-contributory pensions, maternity benefit and redundancy payments. Combining this measure with abolition of the PRSI ceiling will support the Fund in a fair way.
• Increase the health levy by 3% on those earning in excess of €100,000. 2009 – 90million. Full year - €230million.
• Introduce a new 48% tax rate on income in excess of €100,000. 2009 - €180 million. Full year €435 million.
• Charge Capital Gains Tax at 30% (up from 22%) 2009 - €286 million. Full year - €491 million.
• Raise the tax on second homes from €200 to €600 per annum. 2009 - €80 million. Full year €80 million (assuming the tax is paid in a once off payment.
• Reduce the tax reliefs on mortgage interest for landlords by 50%. 2009 - €233 million. Full year - €400 million.


Savings – Total 2009 - €598 million. Full Year €803 million

• Abandon co-location scheme
• Implement a new contract on all hospital consultants which would cap their start off pay at €100,000, with a maximum of €150,000. 2009 - €122 million. Full year €210 million
• Nationalise the wholesale distribution of subsidised drugs and compel medical practitioners to prescribe low cost generic drugs. 2009 - €100 million. Full year - €200 million.
• A 20% cut in travel expenses across all departments. 2009 - €8.4 million. Full year - €14.4 million.
• Cap TD salaries at €80,000 and senators at €60,000 2009 - €4.423 million. Full year - €7.725 million.
• Remove the allowances payable to Chairs, Vice Chairs and Whips of 23 Oireachtas Committees and 5 sub-Committees. 2009 - €485,000. Full year €830,931

Borrowing to be increased to 10.5% of GDP - €2 billion

[corelli]

Right, well my Mother is a medic, and I just ran the generic drug issue past her. It appears you cannot implement across the board generic prescription. It's medically dangerous. For instance, take every day penicillin. There are hundreds, probably, of varieties. Say, for instance you have a chest infection. There are several brands, Klacid, being one, which is specifically made to target respiratory infections. Augmentin, another, is specifically soft tissue, like tonsils.

You could not just say, here is one penicillin, thats for everyone no matter what or where the infection. There would have to be a generic for all particular infections.

Additionally, people can have sensitivities to various drugs. There would have to be exceptions made. I am sure there are ways around it, but blanket banning is not the way.

[Right is right]

So lets see how this works....

1 - Lets make sure that all people who might vote for us aren't impacted..If Welfare/Minimum wages/tax allowances are increased due to prosperity why can't they be adjusted down when the money isn't available?

2 - With regards to waste/duplication are they advocating the removal of staff from the public sector who aren't needed?

3 - How can you stop exile status etc??? Are you proposing that all welfare frauds should be vigourously pursued?

4 - So you basically remove most of the incentive from people to invest in a pension and make more people rely on the state pension?? How do you propose to tax people on their pensionable income that they have already paid income tax on?

5 - With your proposals for the levy/prsi/tax rates you are effectively advocating a tax rate of 60% on people earning over 100k. Basically telling people don't work too hard, don't be a success or you will get screwed over by the State.

6 - How will you get more money from CGT when people will just not sell and its falling through the floor already?

7 - What do you do if the consultants either say No or take you to Court?

[corelli]

So lets see how this works....

1 - Lets make sure that all people who might vote for us aren't impacted..If Welfare/Minimum wages/tax allowances are increased due to prosperity why can't they be adjusted down when the money isn't available?

2 - With regards to waste/duplication are they advocating the removal of staff from the public sector who aren't needed?

3 - How can you stop exile status etc??? Are you proposing that all welfare frauds should be vigourously pursued?

4 - So you basically remove most of the incentive from people to invest in a pension and make more people rely on the state pension?? How do you propose to tax people on their pensionable income that they have already paid income tax on?

5 - With your proposals for the levy/prsi/tax rates you are effectively advocating a tax rate of 60% on people earning over 100k. Basically telling people don't work too hard, don't be a success or you will get screwed over by the State.

6 - How will you get more money from CGT when people will just not sell and its falling through the floor already?

7 - What do you do if the consultants either say No or take you to Court?

The consultant issue could have been sorted ages ago. New contracts paying whatever. This nonsense that they would all go elsewhere is just that, nonsense. They get paid much less elsewhere.

[Supermanpolitician]

Sinn Féin today launched an Emergency Budget Submission

Sinn Féin Launch Emergency Budget Submission : Sinn Féin

The main points included are as follows:

Public finance proposals

“The crisis in public finances needs to be addressed but it needs to be done in a fair and effective way. We believe that the vast majority of workers are willing to contribute but they are not willing to shoulder an unfair share of the burden. Sinn Féin believes that:
• Those earning the minimum wage should be kept out of the tax net and those on low-to-middle incomes protected.
• Social welfare payments must not be cut – a person on a weekly payment of €204 cannot be asked to carry the can for this government’s failure.
• Waste and duplication must be eradicated in the public sector, but frontline services must be protected.
• Borrowing must be strategic and, as in other states, an acceptable method of financing infrastructure.
• There must be tax justice – everyone must pay their fair share, there can be no exile status or legal evasion, tax defaulters should be vigorously pursued.

Revenue raising – Total 2009 €2.460 billion – Total Full Year €4.119 billion

We would introduce a range of tax measures which would generate €2.460 billion over the next seven months and €4.119 billion over a full year. These include:
• Make all discretionary tax relief schemes available only at the standard rate; exceptions should be made only if there is a proven benefit to the Exchequer. 2009 - €600 million. Full year €1 billion
• Abolish the PRSI ceiling and raise PRSI on employees by 1%. 2009 – €563 million. Full year - €950. According to the government the Social Insurance Fund will run out by the end of the year. PRSI is ringfenced to ensure that the money is there to meet unemployment benefit, contributory and non-contributory pensions, maternity benefit and redundancy payments. Combining this measure with abolition of the PRSI ceiling will support the Fund in a fair way.
• Increase the health levy by 3% on those earning in excess of €100,000. 2009 – 90million. Full year - €230million.
• Introduce a new 48% tax rate on income in excess of €100,000. 2009 - €180 million. Full year €435 million.
• Charge Capital Gains Tax at 30% (up from 22%) 2009 - €286 million. Full year - €491 million.
• Raise the tax on second homes from €200 to €600 per annum. 2009 - €80 million. Full year €80 million (assuming the tax is paid in a once off payment.
• Reduce the tax reliefs on mortgage interest for landlords by 50%. 2009 - €233 million. Full year - €400 million.


Savings – Total 2009 - €598 million. Full Year €803 million

• Abandon co-location scheme
• Implement a new contract on all hospital consultants which would cap their start off pay at €100,000, with a maximum of €150,000. 2009 - €122 million. Full year €210 million
• Nationalise the wholesale distribution of subsidised drugs and compel medical practitioners to prescribe low cost generic drugs. 2009 - €100 million. Full year - €200 million.
• A 20% cut in travel expenses across all departments. 2009 - €8.4 million. Full year - €14.4 million.
• Cap TD salaries at €80,000 and senators at €60,000 2009 - €4.423 million. Full year - €7.725 million.
• Remove the allowances payable to Chairs, Vice Chairs and Whips of 23 Oireachtas Committees and 5 sub-Committees. 2009 - €485,000. Full year €830,931

Borrowing to be increased to 10.5% of GDP - €2 billion

Ah Just when they come up with one or two not crazy ideas...you get this.

Bye bye consultants.

[Right is right]

The consultant issue could have been sorted ages ago. New contracts paying whatever. This nonsense that they would all go elsewhere is just that, nonsense. They get paid much less elsewhere.

So why are Irish nurses etc moving abroad? Why would people choose to be a consultant when there is no great reward etc?

[Supermanpolitician]

A cardiac consultant in a private hospital in California can earn excess of 1M USD pa. I know one.

[factual]

So why are Irish nurses etc moving abroad? Why would people choose to be a consultant when there is no great reward etc?

Its about fairness and equality.

[Supermanpolitician]

Its about fairness and equality.

Equality? They tried that in Sweden. Their entire population of dentists left! They had to fly dentists over from Poland.

If you have a skill in demand, you get more money. Builders got it. Doctors always get it.
Unskilled people don't.

[Duth Ealla]

Ah Just when they come up with one or two not crazy ideas...you get this.

Bye bye consultants.

Thats it SP same reason we cant pay our politicians a rate thats typical for other countries. If we pay Cowen a reasonable rate then he might go somewhere else.

Well spotted and back in the real world our overpaid consultants carry on.
The rates offered are not that different to the UKs so do you have a basis for saying they would go.