Brian Stanley: Calls Budget 'All Trick, No Treat' for Workers
Brian Stanley criticised the government's budget, saying it favours developers, landlords and large chains while offering no relief for workers, renters or low- and middle-income earners. He argued the budget contains tax cuts and VAT breaks for big businesses but no targeted help for those hit by the cost of living.
Stanley said last year's election spending 'bought votes' with one-off payments, but this year's budget delivers nothing for ordinary workers. He accused the government of using a 10.4 billion headroom to benefit developers, landlords and large hoteliers rather than low- and middle-income earners.
He criticised the lack of increased delivery of affordable or cost rental housing and said many people above the social housing limit are trapped in private rented accommodation. Stanley warned that rent controls were removed and that landlords are already evicting tenants to prepare for forthcoming rent increases, citing a 10% rent rise in Leish as double the national average.
The speech highlighted VAT reductions and enhanced corporation tax deals that, he said, benefit multinational chains and apartment developers - naming McDonalds, Costa and Starbucks as recipients of VAT cuts. He argued the government could have targeted small cafes and restaurants by reducing VAT on the first few million of turnover but did not do so.
Stanley pointed to no tax relief for workers earning between £24,000 and £70,000, increased local property tax and carbon tax, no rise in child benefit and an increase in third-level college fees from £2,000 to £2,500. He said low- and middle-income earners were left without income boosts or new supports.
He warned there is no specific extra funding for dental services and described the school dental and PRSI-based schemes as almost non-existent in Leish. Stanley also criticised the unchanged medical card income threshold after nearly 20 years and said there was no visible tillage support or extra support for suckler farmers in the budget.
Stanley concluded the budget looked after the wealthy and well-connected while leaving renters, workers, small businesses and low-income families to shoulder rising costs. He framed the measure as a political choice that prioritises landlords, developers and large businesses over ordinary people.
Budget critique
Stanley said last year's election spending 'bought votes' with one-off payments, but this year's budget delivers nothing for ordinary workers. He accused the government of using a 10.4 billion headroom to benefit developers, landlords and large hoteliers rather than low- and middle-income earners.
Housing and renters
He criticised the lack of increased delivery of affordable or cost rental housing and said many people above the social housing limit are trapped in private rented accommodation. Stanley warned that rent controls were removed and that landlords are already evicting tenants to prepare for forthcoming rent increases, citing a 10% rent rise in Leish as double the national average.
Tax and business measures
The speech highlighted VAT reductions and enhanced corporation tax deals that, he said, benefit multinational chains and apartment developers - naming McDonalds, Costa and Starbucks as recipients of VAT cuts. He argued the government could have targeted small cafes and restaurants by reducing VAT on the first few million of turnover but did not do so.
Workers, social supports and education costs
Stanley pointed to no tax relief for workers earning between £24,000 and £70,000, increased local property tax and carbon tax, no rise in child benefit and an increase in third-level college fees from £2,000 to £2,500. He said low- and middle-income earners were left without income boosts or new supports.
Health and agriculture concerns
He warned there is no specific extra funding for dental services and described the school dental and PRSI-based schemes as almost non-existent in Leish. Stanley also criticised the unchanged medical card income threshold after nearly 20 years and said there was no visible tillage support or extra support for suckler farmers in the budget.
Overall assessment
Stanley concluded the budget looked after the wealthy and well-connected while leaving renters, workers, small businesses and low-income families to shoulder rising costs. He framed the measure as a political choice that prioritises landlords, developers and large businesses over ordinary people.
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
Other speeches
Tego samego dnia All speeches from this day →
Paul Murphy
Paul Murphy Demands Answers on AI and Disability Rights
Danny Healy-Rae
Danny Healy-Rae criticises budget over carers, energy and housing
Paul Murphy
Paul Murphy: Calls Budget 'Austerity at a Time of Plenty'
Richard O'Donoghue
Richard O'Donoghue accuses budget of punishing working families
Carol Nolan
Carol Nolan condemns budget as 'half measures', demands VAT cut
Transcript
Minister, the month of October is associated with Halloween and children have played trick or treat at Halloween, but the government and the government have a budget with no treats and all trick, that is what we are getting from government. Last year there was an election and Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael literally went out and bought votes. There was money for everything, one-offs, helicopter money falling out of the sky nearly, grants for everything, grants for millionaires, grants for people who didn't need them. I never argued with grants for those who do need them, but a lot of the money wasn't targeted money, it went all over the place and didn't have the effect that it should have, but it bought votes, that's what it was about. But this year there is no general election and there is nothing for workers, nothing for low and middle income earners, nothing for renters, nothing to alleviate the cost of living, not a thing in this budget. In relation to housing, there is no increase in the delivery of affordable or cost rental housing and you know and everybody in this chamber knows that the people who are just above the limit for social housing but who are not able to get on the ladder to get a mortgage or to get a loan to buy a house, they are the people who are caught here and some of them now are passing middle age and some of them are going up to retirement age and they have no option but to remain in private rented accommodation, a lot of them are at the mercy of rack rent and landlords and all you have done for those is that you have thrown away whatever controls were there and from March on it is a free for all. Already they are starting to evict people so they can get ready to have the rent increases in place. Landlords and developers were looked after in this budget, they were well looked after of course. Enhanced corporation tax deals, tax cuts, tax reductions and VAT reductions for those developing apartments as if that was going to somehow turn on the supply of them. McDonalds, Costa and Starbucks, they got VAT reductions, they got VAT reductions and I would put this to you Minister, if you wanted to assist small cafes and restaurants, you know why didn't you reduce the VAT on the first three or four million of turnover? That could have been done. Your colleagues told me in this chamber a few years ago that you couldn't separate out food from the beds, from the accommodation, that's what we were told, it couldn't be done. Now it can be done. Of course it could have been done. I am asking you why you didn't reduce the VAT on the first two or three or four million so as to help those small businesses to survive that are under pressure. Renters, there are no rent caps, no extra tax relief, nothing there. I will give you the case of Leish where recently the residential tenancy board showed that there was a 10% increase in rent, double the national average over the last year. That follows eight successive quarters of high rents. No tax, no extra tax credits, no caps, no nothing, just increase in rents. Workers got no tax relief and particularly those who are between £24,000 and £70,000, nothing for them. What they did get was more local property tax, more carbon tax, no increase in child benefit and an increase in third level college fees, no matter which way you dress this up. It is an increase in third level college fees from £2,000 to £2,500 this year. And don't try to spin it any other way. The health situation, the dental crisis. I read what you have in health. There is no specific extra funding for dental services. There is no public dental system in Leish we are talking about. I have read it out here before, the figures regarding the school dental scheme, the DTSS scheme for medical card holders and the PRSI-based scheme. It is absolutely hopeless, it is non-existent almost, nothing there for them. And we are supposed to be almost on the threshold of achieving slaincia care, we are heading for ten years into it, a decade, and there is no increase in the income threshold for medical cards. In the name of God, do you realise that there are people there who should have medical cards who can't go to a doctor? Low income workers, you have missed them again, you have not bothered about them. That's nearly 20 years now since that threshold has increased. Two decades. I am highlighting it in this chamber, I think this is my 14th or 15th year to do it, and you did not do anything for them. So low and middle income earners, no medical cards, no tax relief, no income increases, and as I said, more tax, more local property tax, more carbon tax, and higher electricity and gas prices. And just in the farming sector, in the farming sector, the tillage support, I looked at what is there, unless you can show me where it is buried somewhere in a document. But I do not see anything there for the tillage sector, who is under the most pressure, they are operating on thin margins, and if there is any tweak, if they get bad weather, they will be in the red. The suckler farmers, no increase in support for them. So you had 10.4 billion, minister, 10.4 billion headroom here. People would say, how did you get it so wrong? But I think you got it so right, because what you have actually done is that you put money into the pockets of developers and landlords and large hoteliers. That's what you have done. That seems to be what this budget is all about. And this budget looked after the wealthy, you are taking ordinary people for mugs. So the general election last year, money for everything, the country was a wash with money, that's what we are being told, several payments, one-off payments, this year nothing, only hardship for people who are on middle and low incomes. That's the reality here, Count Corley.