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2009

ICTU AND SIPTU PRESIDENT SLAMS UNJUST AND UNCARING BUDGET

Date Released: 09 Dec 2009

The President of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and General President of SIPTU has attacked Budget 2010 as 'callous, unjust and uncaring'. In his response to the budget speech, Jack O'Connor said;
 
"Budget 2010 must rank as the most callous, unjust and uncaring budget introduced by any Minister for Finance since the 1930's in this country.
 
It represents a merciless attack on working people and the most vulnerable in our community while the wealthy in our society escape virtually untouched.
 
The only substantive tax measure introduced is a carbon tax which is another unfair indirect tax which will unjustly penalise working people.
 
The sheer cynicism of this budget and the thinking behind it is evident by the reduction in unemployment assistance to people under 24 years of age. This is clearly designed to encourage our young people to leave the country.
 
We are once again exporting a generation of our youth - our hope for the future - while other countries are doing their best to keep them at home through employment protection, training and back to education schemes.
 
At the very least the Minister could have brought forward some innovative proposals to facilitate commercial State investment in the economy which would not have exacerbated the financial deficit.
 
The remarkable aspect of this budget is its absolute and complete reliance on the free market and pandering to the wealthy in this society.
 
This approach reflects precisely the outlook that wrecked our economy in the first place."




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