O Caoláin slams McCreevy's Budget for Inequality
BY MÍCHEÁL Mac DONNCHA
Speaking in the Dáil on Budget 2000 on 2 December, Sinn Féin TD
Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin described it as the ``most divisive in years''. He
lashed the tax discrimination against parents who choose to care for
children in the home. Deputy Ó Caoláin said:
``For the third time in the life of this government, the Minister for
Finance has failed to use the unprecedented resources at his disposal
to fight inequality and poverty in Irish society. Instead this Budget
deepens the divisions between rich and poor in our country at a time
when, with the peace process having made such progress, we should be
moving towards the creation of real equality and real social justice
on this island.
``This is the most divisive Budget in years. The wealthy have been
rewarded again; the higher paid have benefitted disproportionately
from the tax changes; the lower paid and those dependent on social
welfare have been left with the crumbs from the table. They might be
bigger crumbs but they are still crumbs. The disadvantaged are not
welcome at Minister McCreevy's millennium banquet for the better off.
To use a term close to Minister McCreevy's heart - they are not at the
races.
``The centrepiece of Minister McCreevy's budget is his claim to be the
most radical tax reformer of all time. Yes, there are some welcome
moves to reform the system but the thrust of the Minister's tax
changes are to give the bulk of the benefits to the better off. As we
said in our submission to Minister McCreevy, Sinn Féin believes that
the vast majority of citizens are glad to see their taxes used for
progressive public spending, improving services for all and assisting
the least well off in our society. We refused to join the simplistic
chorus which calls for giveaway tax cuts and which thereby spurns the
opportunity of the current economic climate to make real social
progress. What we need is taxation justice not simple taxation
reduction.
``What has Minister McCreevy given us? Instead of the scales of justice
we have the scales on the eyes of a Minister and a government who
wilfully ignore low-pay poverty and unashamedly reward the wealthy,
who least need relief in the tax system. The simple statistic tells
the tale. A single PAYE worker on £14,000 per annum will be better off
by £5 a week while a single worker on £50,000 will be better off by
£32 per week.
``There is outrage throughout this country today at the blatant
discrimination in this Budget against parents, primarily women but
increasingly men, who choose to care for their children in the home.
Like other deputies, I have received representations this morning from
outraged citizens. A couple in Dublin sent me a copy of their open
letter to the Minister in which they state: `You are now telling me
that my wife is a non-productive person in our society until she goes
out to work and that you intend to penalize us for minding our
children at home.'
``These disastrous measures will undoubtedly deepen the childcare
crisis. In our Budget submission we in Sinn Féin said that we need to
put children back at the centre of the childcare debate. The priority
of all must be the provision of the best care at all times for all of
our children. That includes care by parents in the home, care by other
family members, paid care by childcare workers in the home, early
childhood education, crêches and other facilities provided by the
community or voluntary sector or by private concerns.
``The first choice of most couples remains to give their children the
best care possible and that is full-time care by a parent or parents
in the home. This Budget is an insult to them and I believe that on
this issue alone Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats will pay a
heavy political price and rightly so. They should pay that price now.''
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