Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)

However, the 1% levy will be applied to everyone's income, even those on minimal incomes, which is outrageous.

The increases in VAT and petrol tax will bring in significant income for the Government but we are not sure what will happen to that income. The implication of these increases is that they apply to luxury goods, which defies reason. An increase in VAT at a time when people's incomes are being reduced is illogical. An increase in the price of petrol when we do not have an adequate public transport system is difficult to understand. When the full implications of this budget start to sink in, the average earner or the person who is unemployed and looking for work will be very annoyed.

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