Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

While the Civil Engagement group has not produced an alternative budget such as others in this House have done, we have today issued a statement highlighting five principles which we believe should underpin the budget and should be considered very carefully by the Government. Budget 2018 should deliver joined-up thinking for sustainable development. Addressing Ireland's many urgent challenges in areas like housing, health care, education and climate change requires joined-up thinking and a collective rather than an individualised approach. We are reminding the Ministers that they are responsible for outcomes as well as opportunities and that they cannot talk about individuals taking their chances in a market that might provide. We need blueprints that are based on the sustainable development goals which Ireland helped negotiate at the UN and which are a model for inclusive and long-term development.

The second principle is that budget 2018 should prioritise investment in public services and social infrastructure. Public services benefit everyone and most people see access to decent health and education services as more important for their wellbeing than a few extra euro in their pocket. When we talk about public services, we should include social infrastructure such as child care and home care, which allow people to live with dignity and decency.

The third principle is that budget 2018 should address social, economic and gender equality and deliver, as I have often called for in this House, the gender and equality proofing which ensures that policies work for everyone, not only in the short term but in the long term. It is also about preventive spending so that we avoid problems in the future.

The fourth principle is that budget 2018 needs to be clear and transparent about taxation. Ireland is a low-tax economy with the exception of VAT, which everyone pays. The median income in Ireland is €28,500 and many of the tax measures proposed will benefit nobody below that income. I support the call for the Minister for Finance to talk about Ireland's tax policy with us in the Chamber.