Some of Ireland's richest have a taxable income of less than the average industrial wage, with many paying income tax at a lower rate than the average taxpayer. What can government do in Budget 2019 to counter this highly unfair situation?
Ireland now has the resources to ensure that Budget 2019 addresses the key challenges facing Irish people. Adopting the measures Social Justice Ireland are proposing, each of which has been fully costed and is accompanied by a proposed funding method, would move Ireland in the direction of becoming a fairer, more equal society.
Social Justice Ireland published Fairness and Changing Income Taxes: September 2018 on 18th September. The study assesses the fairness of seven possible income taxation options, each with a full-year cost of between €254m to €348m; equivalent to between 1.2% and 1.6% of the annual income taxation yield.
In this section of our National Social Monitor Autumn 2018 we look at the changing nature of Ireland's tax take, discuss broadening the tax base and increasing Ireland's per capita tax take.
With 10,000 people - including 3,600 children - homeless, 72,000 mortgages in arrears, and 86,000 households on social housing waiting lists, it can hardly be denied that Government policy is a dramatic failure.
Government should stop subsidising the Accommodation and Food Services sector and instead should incentivise the kind of jobs that allow workers to achieve a decent standard of living.
Social Justice Ireland submitted to the Department of An Taoiseach on the Draft National Risk Assessment 2018. In our submission, we urge Government to view the absence of a progressive tax system and lack of infrastructure development as real and immediate risks and to take necessary steps to address them.
A low tax-take is not justified in a wealthy society. With new all-time highs in household wealth levels, government should take the opportunity to raise the resources needed to build a fair and just society.
The Government has today published its National Reform Programme 2018, as submitted to the European Commission. In informing this process Social Justice Ireland submitted two papers to the Department of An Taoiseach - our comprehensive Europe2020 report and our analysis on the Country Specific Recommendations set out in the 2018 Country Report for Ireland.
Social Justice Ireland publishes its annual Socio-Economic Review today, and calls for an increase in Ireland's overall tax take of €3bn. This must be the first step on the path to funding a fairer and more equal society. The Government needs to raise additional annual tax revenue far in excess of current levels if we are to acheive this.
