Green Party Urges Higher Taxes For Wealthy In Ireland

by Robert Lee, Tax-News.com, London

21 November 2001

In its pre-budget submission document entitled 'An End to Boom and Bust - Towards a Sustainable Economy,' the Green Party has urged the Irish government to consider increasing income taxes for those earning £100,000 a year to 44 per cent and for the residency rules exempting the rich elite from paying tax to be abolished.

The document also calls for employers' PRSI tax rates to be cut from 12 per cent to 10 per cent and suggests that corporation tax be lowered to 17.5 per cent as opposed to the government's aim of 12.5 per cent.

'The suggestion of removing the ceiling on employees PRSI, must surely be a recognition that tax changes have disproportionately benefited the more wealthy who have seen tax decreases that have been too large given too quickly, while many on low wages remain unnecessarily within the tax net,' claimed the document.

The Green Party contends that in the previous four budgets wealth transfers have benefited the most wealthy over the poorest to the extent of £159 a week. 'The very least demand in this budget is to remove any worker at the minimum wage level from the tax system. However to achieve this in the way that has been past practice would mean an across the board cut that would benefit all tax payers, but would disproportionately benefit higher earners who would see their tax liability reduced accordingly,' claimed the document.

Further details of the Green Party's pre-budget submission document can be found at: http://www.greenparty.ie/Policy/prebudget.htm

Recommended