Ireland's Largest Trade Union Urges Government To Keep Tax Promises
The general president of Ireland's largest
trade union, SIPTU (Services Industrial Professional and Technical Union),
Des Geraghty told delegates at the Union's National Delegate Conference
this week that the union does not accept that there is any basis for the
Government to renege on the key tax commitments made in the Programme
for Prosperity and Fairness (PPF). 'The days of the poor paying for the extravagances
of the rich are over, he said. 'We will also fight to defend our achievements
in the public, private or commercial State sectors, in spite of any ideological
onslaught from the right.' He added: 'Any slowing down of the economy
next year, even to a growth rate of as little as 1%-2%, provides no excuse
whatsoever for either Government or employers to attempt to pull back
on their PPF commitments. The fact that Ireland's growth last year was
twice the average envisaged under the Programme, and that it was on a
par with it this year, means that the growth performance over the full
period of the PPF will still match the projected average annual GNP increase
of 5.6% provided for in the Programme.' According to the SIPTU leader, the union's
key demand for Budget 2002 is to increase personal tax allowances to the
level of the National Minimum Wage. Such a move would benefit all income
tax payers but do proportionally more for those on the lowest income levels. .
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