Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick East, Fine Gael)

The Minister is working from the top down. What about the people at the lower end on €30,000 taking a 5% hit and those on €50,000 taking a 6% hit? How does the Minister regard this as just and equitable? When the Minister spoke on 15 December he referred to a substantial inequity. A substantial inequity is happening here, where the Minister is effectively ignoring the recommendations of the review body, which stated this category should take an 8%-12% cut. Once again, the small man is paying and this undermines the budget based on what the Taoiseach stated. How does the Minister regard these cuts as fair and equitable with regard to the lower paid?

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