Sinn Féin launches Manifesto

Today we launched our manifesto to deliver a fair recovery for ordinary people – putting money back into our public services is an essential part of our plan. Michael Noonan previously said that the USC was a ‘permanent feature’ of the tax system. Now he’s saying he wants to abolish it. FG/LAB will say anything to get back into power.

To get rid of the USC in its entirety would be unfair and reckless. The move benefits the better off a lot more than someone on an average wage and will mean that some high earners will be more than €10,000 better off while someone who earns €18,000 a year will be about €100 a year better off. It also involves taking the equivalent of the entire health and education budgets out of the tax system over five years.

Sinn Féin wants a fair and sustainable recovery. In government we will introduce a fair tax system. In government we would

• We will abolish the Local Property Tax, saving 1.8 million homeowners an average of €244 per year.

• We will scrap water charges, saving a family of two adults €260 per year.

• We will remove 277,000 workers from the USC.

• We will ease the tax burden on the self-employed, moving towards the equalisation of the Self-Employed Tax Credit with the PAYE Tax Credit.

John Lyons claim on job figures don’t add up

Sinn Féin councillor and general election candidate for Dublin North West Cathleen Carney Boud has criticised John Lyons’ statement regarding jobs, which she believes demonstrates that once again the Labour Party is being the master of deceit.

Cllr Carney Boud said:

“Labour’s job figures don’t add up for two reasons.

Firstly it’s projections for investment in jobs are based on their projections of the fiscal space which has already proven to be wrong.

Secondly Labour are masters of massaging the unemployment figures which don’t show the true picture. When we deduct the amount of people on fruitless job activation schemes such as JobBridge and CE schemes the real figure of unemployment is 18%.”

Cllr Carney Boud continued:

“John Lyons claims that Labour has “been creating good quality jobs”.

“Tell that to those on zero or 20 hour contracts at minimum wage.

Tell that to the hundreds of thousands of young people who have emigrated in search of a better life.

Tell that to those who have been forced in to the slave labour of JobBridge and gateway schemes.

John Lyons should get out and talk to the people in his own constituency and get in touch with reality.”