Budget

Social Justice Ireland presents Budget Priorities to the Select Committee on Budgetary Oversight

Thursday, 3 June 2021

How we plan our finances, and what we choose to prioritise, post-Covid-19, will have profound implications for the future of our economy and society. To this end Social Justice Ireland proposed to the Select Committee on Budgetary Oversight that the priorities for Budget 2022 should be adequate social welfare rates and poverty reduction, just taxation, housing for all and tackling unemployment.

Impact of Tax and Benefit Changes on Families, 2017-2021

Monday, 12 April 2021

Over the past few years Social Justice Ireland has developed its ability to track the distributive impact of annual Budgets on households across Irish society. Our analysis tracks changes from year to year (pre and post each Budget) and across a number of recent years. As different policy priorities can be articulated for each Budget, it is useful to bring together the cumulative effect of policy changes on various household types.

Assessing the Adequacy of Ireland’s Total Tax-Take

Wednesday, 7 April 2021

The need for a wider tax base is a lesson painfully learnt by Ireland during the last economic crisis. A disastrous combination of a naïve housing policy, a failed regulatory system, and foolish fiscal policy and economic planning caused a collapse in exchequer revenues. It is only through a strategic and determined effort to reform Ireland’s taxation system that these mistakes can avoided in the future.

Hard Brexit Threat for Low Income Households

Monday, 26 October 2020

Although the potential for a hard-Brexit has been overshadowed by the challenges of Coivd-19 during recent months, the potential for sudden and significant changes in economic activity and living standards from January 1st 2021 remains a major threat.

Budget 2021 contained many missed opportunities

Friday, 23 October 2020

Budget 2021 was the first chance for this Government to show how seriously it is taking its commitment to the creation of a new social contract. Click here to see some of the opportunies regrettably missed.

Budget 2021 Continues to Privatise Public Housing

Wednesday, 21 October 2020

Despite a significant allocation of over €3 billion to Housing in Budget 2021, the same old policies provide little public housing.

Budget 2021, Carbon Tax and Just Transition

Monday, 19 October 2020

Social Justice Ireland welcomes progress in Budget 2021on carbon tax, and the commitment to ringfence this revenue for sustainability measures. However we are still a considerable distance from a Just Transtion and the compensation meausures in Budget 2021 are not as comprehensive as they could have been.

Budget 2021 - progress and shortcomings

Friday, 16 October 2020

Budget 2021 must be judged by the degree to which it protects people from poverty, equips people and businesses to confront Covid-19 and Brexit, and addresses the climate and environmental crisis. The challenge for Government is to use the fiscal space available to introduce the necessary measures to support incomes and underpin the public health measures to save lives, preserve our economic capacity and prepare for the impact of a no-deal Brexit. Its response to this challenge in Budget 2021 has been mixed.

Budget 2021 leaves poorest behind

Wednesday, 14 October 2020

Budget 2021 has left Ireland’s poorest people behind as Government decided not to increase core social welfare rates. Despite allocating more resources than any previous Budget in the history of the State, the distribution of those resources was such that the gap between the poor and the better off will widen in 2021 and inequality will increase. This is a totally unacceptable outcome.

Budget 2021 - Time for leadership

Monday, 12 October 2020

In advance of the first budget from the current Government, it is important to remember three things: (i) the primary focus should be on increasing employment and delivering infrastructure and services, NOT on deficit reduction; (ii) a huge amount of borrowing will be needed in the next three years, and probably more again after that, and (iii) this borrowing is affordable and is the correct thing to do for the future of the economy and society.