budget 14 October 2008
The Irish budget happened today and it was fairly rubbish. We had been promised something hard and radical and what we got was a fudgy thing that takes money from everyone, thereby making everyone unhappy, and doesn’t address the substantive issues as to how we got into this mess and how we should properly get the country out of it. There is a new extra 1% ‘levy’, on top of income tax, on everyone’s earnings up to 100k – that’s a wide, wide margin and hurts those least able for it most ie the poorer paid. (it goes to 2% after that). Class sizes are to increase, for crying out loud. Public sector employees are largely untouched. But I guess the thing that has irked me most is that people over 70 years of age are to be means-tested for their medical card, even if they have been granted it already. Now, call me an old leftie, but I think that if you have worked and paid your taxes all your life you are entitled to your free travel and old age pension and medical card. And I don’t think you should be punished for having a few bob put aside. Also, given that the public health service is such a palaver to negotiate I think you’ll find that anyone with the wherewithal would opt to go private if they could anyhow and not use the medical card with all of the waiting, etc, that entails. This courtesy should be extended: that you automatically get it for your long years propping up the system and paying into it.
The Irish did not win the Booker this year.
Lashed rain all day, I have a cold and the roofing did not start as scheduled.
