The Budget has arrived but how will it affect the people of Donegal.
Many hundreds already have their own crisis with mica while Donegal also has one of the lowest wage rates in the country.
But how will Finance Minister Pascal Donoghoe and his magic briefcase help us out?
Minister Donohoe is obviously excited after telling the Dail that there are “truly exciting times ahead for this country and its people.”
The budget does contain a €4B Covid contingency fund while tax relief for remote working is also part of the package.
Here are just a few of the stand-out measures which may hit you on a personal note:
* Minimum wage rises 30 cent to €10.50 per hour
* Income tax deduction amounting to 30% of vouched expenses for heat, electricity and broadband incurred while working from home
* €5 increase in main weekly welfare payments and State pension, including young jobseekers’ allowance
* A €5 rise in weekly fuel allowance from midnight tonight
* Thousands more carers will be in line to receive Carer’s Allowance with a single person allowed to earn €350 and a couple €750 per week and still qualify for the payment
* Double payment of welfare allowances at Christmas
* Petrol and diesel costs will increase from midnight tonight, with a 60 litre tank of petrol costing approx €1.28 extra while the same amount of diesel will be €1.48 more – all other fuels will have the increase applied from 1 May 2022
* €5,000 relief for Battery Electric Vehicles to end 2023
* Thousands more carers will be in line to receive Carer’s Allowance with a single person allowed to earn €350 and a couple €750 per week and still qualify for the payment
* €202 million fund for people to improve the energy efficiency of their homes in 2022
* Additional 800 gardaí and 400 civilian staff to be recruited
* Excise duty on a packet of 20 cigarettes rises by 50 cent
* Maternity benefit and parental leave payments to be increased
* Free GP care extended to children aged six and seven years of age
* New Youth Travel Card will offer a 50% discount to those aged between 19 and 23 across the transport network
