Texts and emails, Tuesday 8 December 2009
Topic: The alternative budgets as proposed by Fine Gael, Labour and Sinn Fein.
Panellists: Matt Cooper, Roisin Shorthall of Labour, Kieran McDonnell of Fine Gael and Arthur Morgan of Sinn Fein.
You seem to assume that anyone earning over this magic figure of €100k is rolling in money. I am self employed and last year my earnings were €140k. I can tell you Vincent I have paid a huge amount of tax on my earnings. I had to borrow some of it. You don’t seem to understand the cost of living. My mortgage alone is circa €24k per annum. Do you realise how much one has to earn to end up with €24k in your pocket. That’s without car loan, esb, gas, phone, childcare, medical, groceries, etc, etc, etc. I fully appreciate there are people worse off but you’re wrong if you think people are wealthy if they earn €100k. Perhaps an older person with no mortgage, no young family to support, etc.
Robert, Clonee.
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After being in Ireland for the last 8yrs I have been forced 2 depend on social welfare although there is lots of work in my profession because my papers are out of date, I would rather work and pay my taxes than depend on social welfare.
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There is no good reason training people for employment, if there is no work for them? Also a lot more people would try self employment, if the social welfare system treated them equal and fair, like any other person unemployed, if they got into trouble?
M. Sands, Louth.
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I am a married woman with 4 children and as we speak my husband is currently looking for work in the uk and he has not seen his family for over a month . He is a plasterer by trade and has never been out off work , do u think that’s fair ? He has always paid his taxes but like everyone else we have a mortgage that for the first time in ten yrs we are struggling to pay . What is being done for all the construction workers and their families? U say re-educate, but these people know nothing else and cannot afford to go back to school . I have been tempted to go to social welfare many times, but declined at the last min , why do u think ? Because my husband is self employed were told we would get nothing. We need less talking and more action. No more of the parties slagging each other off , they would all be better off getting all together and coming up with positive solutions , cause let’s face it they are getting well paid for what they do , which is not a whole lot .
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I have 12 million in property assets (at the peak) and 6 million in debt so i guess that makes me a multimillionaire. Unfortunately the assets are now worth a little over 6 million and 30% of them are vacant. I can make the interest payments and live modestly. When my allowances run out i will be taxed on artificial profits as my interest cost is real but only 75% is allowable. Some people will never buy a house & i am a necessary component of society. Many like me will default when interest rates rise. NAMA will look like a tea party. People like me can pay tax on income but not assets. Wealth tax how are you? Who wants to be a multi millionaire?
Patrick.
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I raised an issue before and I want to raise it again. I live in a part of the country where there is 'anecdotal' evidence of people from a particular 'so called' ethnic group own huge houses, 08 and 09 SUVs etc though there is no evidence of income to back up the appearent signs of wealth, in fact there could even be evidence of the person or families concerned being on the dole etc. Should the revenue not be looking at situations like this and be investigating same?
James Hudson.
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When de Valera stood down as Taoiseach in January 1959 he left the country practically bankrupt and the population down to 2.8 million. 50 years later Bertie and Biffo seem to have gone one better.
Jack O'Reilly.
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It is so so sad the way this country has gone. The suicide rate is bound to rise with such pressure on the people who are in dire debt as it is. I'm one of them.
Tu.
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I've been unemployed for 6 months, I’ve been told that i need 2 do a training course with fas. The problem is that there is a huge waiting list, so they try and encourage you 2 do a course with less on the list. I was offered a course growing vegetables? Just what kind of job will this qualify me 2 do when I’m finished. It's a waste of tax payer’s money and my time. Why don't they provide courses that are worthwhile, and can help someone get back 2 work?
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What about the self employed who have been paying taxes for years but now that the work is gone social welfare will not even look at us, never mind help us! I can’t even afford to feed my children at the moment. All i have is my children’s allowance. You are talking about not touching the social welfare people.. If only i had €204 a week. What is the government going to do to help me? Just let us starve? Whilst thousands of social welfare people are living comfortably!
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Why has not one politician commented on the hard working public sector workers that they deal with probably on a daily basis. Are Irish people so stupid that they can't see that the government has divided this country to deflect away from the mess they have created?
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I would like to propose that all of us share mr.cowen’s level of pain - which is €230,000 per annum. Or would mr c like to walk a mile in our shoes - which is less than €21, 00per annum - for many of us. Let s all sing carol s from the same hymn sheet!
Margaret
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Graduates do not want work experience they want work they will be paid for, nobody goes to college for years to give the benefit of their education for free. I don’t think so .
Catherine Daly, Cork.
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I want 2 take this country2 court they dump me in 2 industrial school's in 50's & 60's our mother was poor she spent 6year's in work shop's in 4 all we know what went on in those school's, never got back as family after that. Had 2 go 2 England 2 find work in 76 got no help here. Got back in 2001and da country is a mess again. on social welfare now they goin 2 cut it in budget. They’ve failed 2 looked after me as a Irish person. If a dog was abuse da way I’ve been there owners b taken 2 court. Michael a failed Irish man by that country I was born I a pure joke.
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In relation to 'waste', i have raised an issue morn than once before and even have written to relevant ministers on same. Up and down the country you will see road signs, traffic cones etc just left along roads and ditches after works have finished. Lights are being left on in schools and other public buildings, even at weekends and holidays.
James Hudson
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So tomorrow brings the toughest budget in the state’s history. I take it that Brian Cowen’s ‘hide under a pile of coats and wait and see what happens’ approach to our economy never worked. What a poor country we are for having such a weak and incompetent man as Taoiseach.
Andy, Offaly
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