Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy rightly acknowledged, the budget provided for a social welfare package and a pension increase across the board, in addition to targeted increases for those who need them most, in particular, the fuel and living alone allowances. The budget also provided for reductions in income tax, increases in tax credits and widening of the tax bands so that people on middle incomes who are also struggling with the increased cost of living would get something. In that way, we made sure that somebody who is not getting a pay increase from his or her employer at least got something. That is why we were so determined to have an income tax package.

I remind Members who are complaining about the high cost of living that they are the same people who voted against the budget and those income tax reductions in this House. They complain about the fact that we have a high cost of living and yet would have middle income people earn less and take home less each day. If the Opposition parties were in the Government, the average middle income family would have €800 less a year in their pockets every year.

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