Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

We in Labour also called for this increase in the small benefit exemption from €500 to €1,000. We welcome a provision enabling an employer to provide an extra €500 in tax-free vouchers to staff. It is one way of ensuring that workers will get a pay rise. However, not enough has been done in this budget otherwise to ensure that workers get the pay rise they need, in particular, low- and middle-income workers. We have put forward at a much more significant measure to increase the minimum wage by €1.50 per hour to €12 per hour to reflect the real and growing impact of inflation rather than the rather derisory increase the Government has proposed that amounts effectively to a pay cut because it comes nowhere near meeting the rising inflation for those on minimum wages. My colleague, Deputy, Nash also referred earlier to the inequitable effect of the taxation changes and the fact that lower-paid workers will simply not benefit to the same extent as higher-paid workers. While we welcome this provision, it is only one measure in a budget that otherwise does not go anywhere near to delivering for those on low and middle incomes.

See this speech in context