Rose Conway-Walsh slams finance bill as out of touch with families
Rose Conway-Walsh criticised the finance bill accompanying the budget, saying it is not future-proof, gender-proof or rural-proof and is out of touch with people struggling under the cost of living. She argued the bill and budget fail to address housing, healthcare and supports for families affected by pyrite and mica, and highlighted missed progressive tax measures.
Main criticism of the finance bill
The speaker described the finance bill as more notable for what is absent than what is included, arguing it does not build Ireland back better after the pandemic and reflects a government out of touch with hard-working people crippled by the cost of living.
Delayed decisions on pyrite and mica
She expressed shock that the decision on pyrite and mica remediation had been extended beyond November 9 and said affected families were left without measures in the budget, calling the delay a continuation of their nightmare.
Missed revenue and tax proposals
The speaker noted Sinn Féin's proposed £1.5 billion in revenue-generating progressive tax measures and highlighted the ignored proposal for a 3% solidarity tax on individual incomes, which was estimated to raise £176 million. She accused the government of leaving out the vacant property tax, delaying the zoned land tax until at least 2024, and failing to apply the full rate of capital gains tax to disposals by investment funds.
Bank levy and community banking concerns
She criticised the near halving of the bank levy despite citizens being owed £10 billion and challenged the rationale for excluding Ulster Bank and KBC measures on the basis of avoiding disruption, pointing to disruption faced by communities and customers left without local banking services.
Healthcare and cost-of-living impacts
The speaker recounted calling a healthcare worker who received only 30 cents extra per hour after the budget moved her to the minimum wage and who faces a carbon tax on fuel and heating oil. She warned the budget will fail healthcare workers and the more than 900,000 people on the waiting list, citing particularly high trolley rates in the West and specific figures for Mayo University Hospital where 15,613 people are waiting for appointments and treatment and 22 have waited over four years.
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
The finance bill is the tax measures that obviously accompany the budget and following from the last speaker I don't think this finance bill has been future-proof, gender-proofed or rural-proofed and for most ordinary people it's just an abstract exercise and it certainly doesn't build us back better after the pandemic. The finance bill reflects a government that's out of touch with hard-working people who are crippled by the cost of living and that is the main message that I get back. Now I know Piers talked earlier on but I'm quite shocked about the fact that the decision on the pyrite and the mica has been extended beyond the 9th of November. I hope that this is not true. I hope that the nightmare is going to end for the families impacted by this and it was absolutely shocking for them to find that measures hadn't been included in the budget. Sinn Fein proposed a £1.5 billion in revenue generating progressive tax measures as part of our alternative budget. Some of these things like the introduction of the 3% solidarity tax on individual incomes which would bring in £176 million were ignored by this government. Last month we saw an unambitious budget. Now we see a finance bill that's more notable for what's absent than what's included. So the vacant property tax is not included. Even the weak zoned land tax will not apply until 2024 at the earliest. No move to apply the full rate of capital gains tax on the disposal of property by the investment funds. We see the bank levy being almost halved even though citizens are still owed £10 billion. You said you left out the Ulster Bank and the KBC because you didn't want to further disrupt their withdrawal. Well what about the disruption to all the communities and all of their loyal customers who are left without a bank? The finance budget and the budget are two sides of the same coin and the real test will be their ability to have an impact on people's lives. And I rang one healthcare worker after the budget to see how it would impact on her life and she got 30 cents per hour to bring her up to the minimum wage. That's what the budget meant to her. 30 cents after working in the most harrowing conditions right through the pandemic. And just for good measure she gets a carbon tax slapped onto her fuel and heating oil. And you tell her you have to do this because you have to change her behaviour. Well the mind boggles. What do you want her to do? Put on an extra jumper? Along with housing, healthcare is the area that most people want to see the real action. This year's budget will fail healthcare workers and over 900,000 people on the waiting list. And this is frighteningly evident in Mayo and the West more generally. We've seen in the West the highest rates of people on trolleys. 15,613 people are now waiting for appointments and treatment in Mayo University Hospital. 22 of those are waiting over four years. That speaks volumes and this finance bill and this budget has not impacted those people. Thank you.
Thank you for downloading 🙏
If you publish this material on social media, we would be very grateful if you tagged VideoParliament. It helps us reach more people and keep building a transparent archive of Irish politics.
