Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

The Taoiseach is renowned for his rhetoric to the effect that he will deliver for those who get up early, such as the low and middle income earners of this country. At the weekend we learned from an ESRI analysis of budget 2019 that a decision not to link changes in tax and benefit rates to expected wage growth will reduce the average disposable household income by 0.7%. It was said that lower income households would see proportionately greater losses than higher income households. It is a bit like the mistake President Macron has made in France where he is looking after the wealthy at the expense of the vast majority.

The Taoiseach should probably learn some lessons from his pal. The need to link the changes in those tax rates to the expected growth in wages is very clear. Otherwise, what the Government is doing is looking after a tiny milieu of wealthy people when other research shows they have made the greatest gains over the past eight years when compared with average workers and low income earners.

See this speech in context