INDEPENDENT Donegal NE candidate Ryan Stewart tonight accused opposition parties of doing the ‘dirty work’ of the Government.
“The fact that all opposition parties have offered to rush through the Finance Bill shows the contempt that Fine Gael and Labour have for the Irish public, and this is exactly why party politics has failed Ireland – have they read the Finance Bill?” he fumed.
“Do they know what they are imposing on us? Or don’t they care what’s in it, as passing this bill only helps to bring the election forward, and gets them in power more quickly.
“The Bill includes increasing Student Service charges from €1500 to €2000, contributing to a wider gap in the affordability of education, removes tax relief for childcare, meaning it will be more difficult for those on lower wages to afford it, and means that they will be unable to take up employment, or face having to leave their jobs, and includes the Universal Social Charge, which targets the lower paid.
“The Bill includes a 10% reduction in tax bands, with a further 16.5% reduction over the next 4 years. All other credits are being reduced by 10%. These include: widowed persons credit, one parent family tax credit, incapacitated, child tax credit, dependent relative tax credit, home carer tax credit and blind person’s tax credit.
“There are many more points to this bill which are being overlooked in the pursuit of power in the Dail.
“Like Fianna Fail, the opposition are party-driven and self interest is, again, coming before the good of the country and the people. So why should we vote for power hungry, money motivated parties of either persuasion? The election date was set earlier this week, and opposition parties should reject the Finance Bill out of hand. The government is on its knees, and a little patience will pay off for the good of the country. They should not be adding to the farce that the world has watched unfold over the last few weeks.”
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