Kathryn Reilly (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move recommendation No. 3:
In page 11, between lines 18 and 19, to insert the following:

"3. The Minister shall within 3 months of the passing of this Act prepare and lay before the Oireachtas an analysis of the tax changes in this Act, and the total of tax changes and spending adjustments of Budget 2015, setting out the continuing impact on people based on their gender, income, age, marital and disability status.".

Many in society, including the Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, have been critical of previous budgets. The recommendation proposes that a report be made available on the budget's impact on certain groups. Sinn Féin produced legislation to provide for equality budgeting but the Government voted against it. There has been a consistent failure to undertake an independent impact assessment of budgets, either in terms of their distributional impact on incomes or on groups who may already be disadvantaged. The recommendation would require the Government to produce an equality impact assessment on all measures in Finance Bills to ensure they do not deepen inequality and, more important, impact in a manner that promotes greater equality.