TD Mattie McGrath has hit out at yesterday’s “Fine Gael budget,” claiming that the Government has failed to deliver meaningful support for ordinary people.
Speaking in the Dáil in reaction to the Budget on Wednesday, the Tipperary South Independent said that the Budget had failed to tackle fuel costs and help those in the farming community.
“We are here the day after the budget, what I describe as “the Fine Gael budget”. Cá bhfuil Fianna Fáil? Is it completely gone. Its stamp is not on this,” said McGrath.
The Deputy said that despite record tax receipts and large surpluses, the Government had opted for a series of modest measures that will be “quickly swallowed up by the huge cost of living crisis.”
He argued that companies making unusually high profits, such as banks and energy companies, could contribute more to the State to help households with cost of living pressures. McGrath said the Government was willing to tax ordinary workers – while avoiding taxing “the big people”.
Deputy McGrath said that Fianna Fáil had lost its identity, and had moved from being a party which represented young people, small farmers, workers and small businesses, to being more concerned with Europe and the EU establishment.
“One of the biggest disappointments in the budget was the failure to introduce a windfall tax. What is the Government against taxing the big people? Fianna Fáil used to be a party of the daoine óga, of the small farmer, of the labouring working man and everybody else,” said the TD in the heated exchange.
“Now it is beholden to Europe, to Ms von der Leyen, to the World Economic Forum and, above all, to the global capitals. In this case, a windfall tax should have been introduced, but the Government will not touch them. However, the Government does not mind putting its hand deep into the pockets of the ordinary working man and woman, but those ordinary working men and women are waking up to the Government and, by God, will it pay a price.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNaF0CYi600
‘WHY DOES GOVT HAVE TO TAKE ALMOST 50% OUT OF EVERY LITRE?’
McGrath added: “There was little for everyone. Like the curate’s egg, good in spots but very little for everyone, and kind of robbing Peter to pay Paul.
The politician also argued for a temporary fuel price cap, saying that the budget had failed to tackle high petrol and diesel prices.
“The cost of living, fuel and energy are just so expensive. Why does the Government have to take almost 50% out of every litre of petrol? All I wanted when this crisis arose with Iran was a cap so that we would have it at €1.70 for diesel and maybe €1.60 for petrol and the Government would cushion the rest out of its surpluses for the moment rather than giving back this in rebate schemes and all this baloney that is so difficult to traverse.
“Fuel is not a luxury. It is a necessity for work, farming, business, education, healthcare appointments and daily life, particularly in rural Ireland.”
The Deputy also said that the Budget had fallen short of helping pensioners.
“As to pensioners, an equal increase in social welfare payments and the living alone allowance are, of course, welcome, but they are miserly and a pittance when you see the cost of everything. Certainly, I have to welcome the extension of the bereavement grant. However, the money that they got was so, so little,” he said.
The TD also claimed that carers were “completely gobsmacked” by the lack of support in yesterday’s Budget.
“One of the greatest concerns remains the thousands of ageing parents caring for adult children with disabilities while worrying about who will care for them when they are gone. That is an awful burden on most people,” said McGrath.
“The biggest challenge facing disability services is no longer simply funding, but staffing. We announced 4,000 places for special educational needs and, indeed, special needs assistants, SNAs. That is great, but we are not able to get them and we are not able to retain them. Education was poorly served by this budget.”
‘GOVT HAS LESS MONEY FOR AGRICULTURE THIS YEAR’
Deputy McGrath also said that the Government had less money in the budget for agriculture this year when compared to last.
“The Government is making contracts with farmers and they are going through all the hoops to sign up to schemes. Even as late as last September or August, they were told that the Government did not have money to pay for the straw scheme, yet the Minister found it some place else. It is robbing Peter to pay Paul again,” he told the House.
“The basic problem here is this is our primary industry and if we have tough times, we are going to need produce. We are going to need food, and who is going to produce it? It will not be the people in the cities, but the farmers. The Minister, Deputy Heydon, has got a raw deal here. The Government has neglected agriculture.”
Deputy McGrath claimed that small business owners “also got no break” despite publicly campaigning for a VAT reduction to 15%.
He said health and safety costs, oil and fuel costs, energy costs and the cost of insurance was “on top of them.”
“Fianna Fáil was the party of the small business, the small farmer and the working man but it has forgotten all about that in Micheál Martin’s quest for a European stage and a worldwide tour. I do not know what he expects to be afterwards – something akin to the man above. He thinks he is God. He can walk on water but he will find out fast. When he walks Cork South-Central again, he will be on thin ice,” remarked McGrath.
“He has turned his back on the Irish people,” the Rural TD added.