Donegal Fianna Fáil TD Charlie McConalogue has said there is no need to hit hard-pressed homeowners with a property tax in next year’s budget.
Fianna Fáil launched its alternative budget for 2013 this week, proposing a full reversal of controversial cuts to home help hours and vowing to protect frontline education services.
The proposals, which have been fully costed by the Department of Finance, will reach the target of €3.5 billion in savings next year through an even split of taxation and expenditure measures.
But Deputy Charlie McConalogue said it’s about a fairer way towards recovery, instead of expecting hard-pressed families and the most vulnerable people to bear the brunt of the burden.
The Donegal TD explained, “We are proposing that education, mental health and disability services be fully protected. This means reversing the deeply unfair slash and burn of home help hours, and well as reversing the cuts to rural schools and DEIS schools, and the dangerous cuts to guidance counsellors at second level. We also propose lifting the ban on recruitment in the gardaí, as local garda services have already been stretched to the limit.
“Fianna Fáil has worked out measures to exceed the Government’s one tax targets for next year, without slapping hard-pressed homeowners with hefty property taxes. We believe that this is not the time for a property tax, with so many homeowners in Donegal and across the country struggling to pay their mortgage.”
The party has also accused the Government of failing to tackle the deepening jobs crisis and to provide proper supports to small businesses in difficulty.
Deputy McConalogue said: “Donegal has the highest rate of youth unemployment in the country, and the government’s jobs plans have had absolutely no impact on the jobs crisis in this region.
“We are proposing to increase the places in local employment schemes, in areas such as child care, home help and community renewal projects. We also propose a range of supports for local companies by tackling the burden of commercial rates, reforming the availability of credit and scrapping plans to push the cost of sick pay onto employers.”
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