"Missed Opportunity" And "Helping People Who Get Up And Go To Work" - Wexford TDs React To Budget Measures

Labour has described the Budget as a missed opportunity.

The Finance Minister has been defending the decisions on energy contained in his first budget. 

The carbon tax on home heating oil and gas has been cut, but there are no further cuts to the cost of petrol and diesel. 

Labour TD for Wexford George Lawlor says workers have been left behind by yesterday's announcement

"Given the resources the Government have at their disposal, this Budget was a real opportunity to make a real difference.

"In actual fact, it has fallen far short.

"Workers with an income of €40,000 get €4 a week and the €10 euro social welfare increases are less than inflation."

Local Fine Gael representatives have been defending yesterday's announcement.

Wicklow Wexford TD Brian Brennan says the Government are doing the best with the hand they've been dealt

"I understand that we are living in unprecedented times and a lot of this is out of our control.

"We cannot fix everything but I really feel like this is one step in the right direction.

"Why we're in this position is because of what is happening in the geopolitical world at the moment."

Deputy Brennan says yesterday's budget is one for people who get up and go to work.

He feels the wider cuts to income tax and the cost of childcare will put more money back into people's pockets so they can deal with the cost of living. 

The entry point for Universal Social Charge three-percent band has also been raised by €1,600.

Deputy Brennan says workers will see the benefit when these changes kick in shortly:

"A couple that's earning €100,000 a year will get approximately 1,500 euro extra into their back pocket while a single person on €50,000 will get back around 750 euro."

Meanwhile, Labour says the changes made to the housing sector will only push up prices for those seeking a home.

Deputy Lawlor says the Government have just given the green light to developers and landlords to jack up their prices:

"The increase of €5,000 to the Help To Buy Scheme will just be put onto the price of a house because that's what happens with these incentives, it instantly increases the price of housing.

"The Rent A Room Relief has increased to €16,000, up €2,000. What will be the impact of that? The cost of renting the room will go up.

"These are so called improvements and the consequences of them will be that people will end up paying more."

Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein representatives also clashed over whether this Government is pro-business or not.

Business groups have welcomed the first reduction in Capital Gains Tax in over a decade while also praised the increase in the employer PRSI threshold.

However, there are concerns that the raise in the minimum wage to almost 15 euro an hour will hurt SMEs.

Sinn Fein's Wicklow Wexford TD Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin says his party would do far more to help keep companies afloat during this difficult time:

"Companies are getting fleeced now so don't tell me this is a pro-business Government and Sinn Fein doesn't understand it.

"It doesn't have to be this way, we have billions in surplus and this country has never been as wealthy."

Meanwhile Malcolm Byrne of Fianna Fail says the Opposition's lack of understanding around how money works is concerning.

He accused his fellow constituency TD of cherrypicking and making up figures to suit themselves:

"Fionntán is just throwing stuff out there but we've got to support businesses to be able to create jobs.

"It's very easy to throw slogans around and tax people who are creating jobs.

"This country relies very heavily on foreign direct investment and we have to attract those companies because they provide really high paying jobs.

"We have a main Opposition party that doesn't really understand how the global economy works."

Elsewhere, Deputy Byrne says the Government is far more generous when it comes to pensioners than in other European countries.

The State Pension will be increased by €10 per week as part of yesterday's Budget announcement.

Meanwhile, the Weekly Fuel Allowance rate will increase by €5 while income threshold for single pensioners will rise from €534 to €641 per week.

Deputy Byrne says they are supporting the older members of our society:

"The pension has increased again this year, there's also an increase in the Living Alone Allowance and a permanent increase to the Fuel Allowance.

"So if you look at the level of pension support we provide in Ireland in comparison to the UK and most other countries including measures like Free Travel and the communications allowance, the whole benefit package is far more generous here."

However,

Sinn Fein says the Budget will do nothing to stop pensioners from falling into homelessness.

Deputy Ó Súilleabháin says our most vulnerable are being left to fend for themselves:

"There are a lot of pensioners now who are renting and becoming homeless which is something we have never seen before.

"People may have seen the furore in Spain last week where a woman in her 80s was evicted and that's what's happening here now.

"The housing policy has failed abysmally" 

That report was funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.