SIPTU Urges Irish Government To Follow Through On Tax Commitments
by Jason Gorringe, Tax-News.com, London
14 October 2004

The leader of Ireland's largest trade union, the Services Industrial Professional and Technical Union (SIPTU) has warned the new Minister of Finance Brian Cowen that failure to deliver on the government’s tax promises will prompt the union to pull out of its participation in the Sustaining Progress initiative.

“Failure by Government to honour the commitments given to us in the recent pay talks will be viewed as a major breach of faith and will seriously bring into question the future of social partnership, including the remainder of the present agreement,” cautioned Joe O’Flynn, Secretary General of SIPTU, whilst speaking at the Union's latest Dublin conference.

Noting the recent publication of the Department of Finance’s Exchequer Returns, which showed tax revenues accruing from income tax, VAT and stamp duty ahead of government targets, Mr O’Flynn argued that there is “absolutely no reason” why tax commitments given to the trade unions should not be honoured.

According to O’Flynn, the most pressing issues that need to be addressed include “removing all workers on the minimum wage from the tax net altogether, and improving the position of workers in the middle income bracket so that they no longer pay tax at the top rate.”

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