Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)

Tairgim leasú Uimh. 1:

In page 8, between lines 6 and 7, to insert the following: “Report on universal social charge

3. The Minister shall, within 3 months of the passing of this Act, prepare and lay before Dáil Éireann a report on removing the universal social charge from the first €40,000 a person earns.”.

Tá an rún seo ag iarraidh faoiseamh cánach a chur ar fáil do dhaoine fud fad na tíre seo, rud a dhiúltaigh an Rialtas seo a dhéanamh cé go bhfuil muid i gcruachás maidir le costais mhaireachtála, mar atá a fhios againn, agus praghsanna ag dul suas agus suas. Cé gur thug páirtithe an Rialtais, Fianna Fáil agus Fine Gael, gealltanais go mbeidh gearrthacha ó thaobh cánach de, níl an rud seo déanta acu mar tá an toghchán thart agus na gealltanais a rinne na páirtithe sin caite i leataobh. Tá pobal na tíre caite i leataobh fosta. Bhí praghas de €9.4 billiún ar an cháinaisnéis. Is é an rud a rinne an Rialtas, na páirtithe seo, ná gur fhág sé oibrithe níos measa i mbliana ná mar a bhí siad anuraidh. Is iad sin fíricí an scéil seo. Faoin leasú atá á chur chun tosaigh ag Sinn Féin, beidh tuairisc ag amharc ar an chéad €40,000 d'ioncam a shaothraíonn duine ar bith sa tír seo a bheith saor ón USC. Cuirim i gcuimhne don Tánaiste agus Aire Airgeadais na laethanta a chaith sé ag iompar na gcomharthaí ag rá go raibh Fine Gael chun deireadh a chur leis an cháin seo. Tharla sé seo roimh thoghchán difriúil. Tá a fhios againn cad a tharla leis an ghealltanas sin fosta. Gan athrú suntasach a dhéanamh ar chúrsaí cánach, cuirfear níos mó brú ar phobal na tíre seo agus níos mó cánach orthu. Ní m'fhocail féin amháin iad seo. Is é sin a méid a bhí le rá ag an Tánaiste roimh an toghchán. Molaim an leasú seo don Teach. Thabharfadh sé faoiseamh do dhaoine, go háirithe agus muid ag déileáil le cruachás na gcostas maireachtála, mar atá a fhios ag pobal na tíre seo.

Amendment No. 1 is about providing real substantial tax relief to workers right across the State, something that the Government chose not to do in this budget. With a budget of €9.4 billion, only Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael could manage to actually leave workers worse off. This measure is about ensuring that the first €40,000 that anybody earns would be exempt from USC, a measure which is targeted. Although everybody who earns up to that amount would benefit, it cuts off at €40,000, which is appropriate in my view. It would benefit people by up to €746 which would make a real difference, particularly in a cost-of-living crisis as people see prices continue to increase as the Government sits by and does nothing. Indeed, it does worse than that because in this budget €9.4 billion is being expended and yet workers are being left worse off.

I am sure the Minister does not need reminding of this. He has probably got pictures on his phone or pictures at home of himself and his colleagues holding banners promising to abolish the USC. Does the Minister remember that one? Then again, he will recall that that was before an election and he and his colleagues have a bit of a habit here; they make commitments before an election and break them after an election. Now the abolish-the-USC banners have been put to one side.

Before the most recent election they promised to index tax relief, something that was not done in this budget. The Tánaiste, himself, made it very clear in the run-up to the election when he said with regard to not adjusting income tax: "That's the equivalent, we just need to be honest, of saying there will be tax rises". That is exactly in his own words the effect of what he is delivering here to workers who are toiling to build this economy. These workers are struggling as a result of this Government that has sat by and allowed a rip-off to take place in many areas. We see it in insurance, banking, energy and other areas. The Government itself has made matters worse through increasing costs on individuals: the increase in student fees, another broken promise; increases in petrol and diesel; increases in home heating oil; and increases in local property tax. Increases after increases have been placed on the shoulders of ordinary working families.

That is why so many people - over 300,000 people as we know today - cannot pay their electricity bills. It is why one in four households in the State cannot pay their gas bills. Regardless of what the Government says it has done and I am sure the Minister will trot it out again, the reality is as we stand here never in the history of the State have there been more people who cannot afford to keep the lights on and the heating on because they cannot pay their electricity and gas bills.

Today is about giving the new Minister for Finance, Simon Harris, an opportunity to live up to his words, for him to be honest and say that actually not adjusting income tax bands is, in his own words, the same as saying there will be tax rises. I do not believe that is the case. I do not believe we should be seeing tax rises. What we need to see is relief for people at this point in time. That is why we need the first €40,000 that people earn to be exempt from USC, providing targeted support for individuals during this cost-of-living crisis.

There are many measures, which the Minister will be well familiar with, through which revenue can be generated to fund this proposal. For example, I do not believe that we should be providing in this budget the €2.5 billion in tax cuts that have been handed out to landlords, developers, investors and others. Those are the priorities of the Government. My priority is looking after ordinary working people. My priority is putting it to the Government that it has again broken its promise and commitment to the Irish people and to Irish workers. As there is no upcoming election, however, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil do not care. Unfortunately, that is the evidence before us, evidence in black and white in this Finance Bill.

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