Irish Government Accused Of Stealth Taxation

by Jason Gorringe, Tax-News.com, London

26 June 2006

Speaking last week, Labour Party Leader, Pat Rabbitte TD, accused the Fianna Fáil and Progressive Democrat government coalition of imposing stealth taxes on the Republic's taxpayers.

“With less than a year to go to the General Election, Labour is warning voters: Beware of Government give-aways! You’ll still be picking up the bill in years to come,” Rabbitte said on Friday.

Deputy Rabbitte was launching ‘Taxing by Stealth – The Real Record’, a Labour Party analysis of more than 50 alleged 'stealth taxes', defined in the report as taxes or charges for public services increased since the return of the Fianna Fail/PD government in 2002.

He argued:

“The list of stealth taxes we are publishing today nails the myth that Fianna Fáil and Progressive Democrat administration for the past nine years has been a government of low taxes.”

Labour’s analysis purports to show that not only have some VAT rates been increased, but the non-indexation of the standard rate band has pushed more and more taxpayers into the 42% tax bracket.

According to the Labour Party's analysis, charges and taxes have quietly increased since 2002 on households, education, health and welfare, taxes and welfare, utilities, and transport.

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