Mattie McGrath: Calls Budget a 'Three Card Trick' on Small Business
Mattie McGrath criticised the government's budget measures and a midnight carbon tax increase, calling the package a "three card trick" that will fleece households and small businesses. He welcomed targeted payments for households, pensioners and carers but argued the timing and tax increases undermined relief and amounted to a "bribe budget".
Context of remarks
McGrath spoke in response to comments from Tara Vimeo-Chalk and referenced the bill of Peter Saul, noting remarks about timing and public response. He framed his remarks around recent budget decisions and the delivery schedule for payments.
Main critique of the budget
He described the budget as a "three card trick" and accused the government of trying to fool the public with headline payments while increasing taxes. He said the measures favoured larger interests while leaving ordinary workers and small business owners worse off.
Payments and timing concerns
McGrath welcomed payments to households, pensioners and carers but complained many payments will not land until the following January. He criticised the minister for raising the carbon tax at midnight on the same night payments were announced, arguing the timing effectively cancels relief.
Impact on small businesses
He warned that small businesses - which he called the enablers who pay wages, VAT, insurance and sick pay - are being "crucified" while larger firms benefit. He cited protests and said 600 small businesses had closed in the last 12 months, using that figure to underline his claim of harm to traders.
Political framing and public reaction
McGrath characterised the budget as a bribe, saying voters will judge whether they accept the package. He used Halloween imagery and metaphors of trick-or-treating to argue the public should not be fooled by temporary payments that are offset by tax increases.
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Tara Vimeo-Chalk, when you were talking, I was here and you said you take 10 of your 20 minutes and you said you wanted the bill of Peter Saul to have it passed for Halloween. I asked you if you were going trick or treating and you said you went too old for it, but you were going off, I say, like the tooth fairy with all your grants. I know you're giving lots of them to Monaghan and they appreciate it, but the different things you have here, all the different payments, and I welcome 300 months off payment for households receiving fewer allowance and indeed the 200 months off payment for pension. pensioners, 400 payments to carers receiving the carers of support, all very welcome. Of course they are. But Minister, the trick of the loop is you're fleecing the people with tax. You put carbon tax on the same night and put it up at 12 o'clock. Some of these payments won't be paid until the next 1st of January. You hope to be back here sitting on that side of the house, but you won't get it. It's okay to be sitting on this side of the house. I'm sure you'll be back and anyone's going to know whether you're back or not. It's up to the people. But Minister, it's a three card trick. You had loads of money, you said, and you had loads of calls on it. But the one call that was on it was for the enablers. The people who came up today protesting are protesting. It's not their nature. But to make that case once again, 600 of them have closed in the last 12 months alone. Why are you so blind? There's none so blind to those who cannot see at all. I mean, they suffer. They are the enablers. They pay the wages. They pay the VAT. They pay the insurance. They pay the PSI. They pay the sick pay. They pay the additional minimum wage. They pay the whole lot. And they're getting nothing. They expect it and they believe that they might get it back to 9%. That it might give them some bit of a lifetime. But no. So if this government has a desk set on self-implied and small business people. Oh, fine. If you're the Goggins or the big business or the beef moguls, you get red capital out there. But the only small businessmen, they apply 1 to 10 or 1 to 25, they are crucified. The working man as well is crucified. He didn't get much in this either, Minister. But it was a bribe budget. So a bribe day should be called it down. That's what it was. To think that you can fool the people. And if the people want to be fooled, what's the saying? Fool me once, it's my fault. Fool me twice, it's your fault. I don't think they'll buy this because, you know, it'll be like snow for ditch. These payments will be gone. And you'll be going around with the two trailers, as I said, Halloween. But you might want the masses going to the house and good customers that they won't know who you are, some houses you're going to go to, because they are on a cross. They are fod. They are waiting in the grass and waiting behind the doors. They are neither the way you have mistreated them, neglected them, and abused them with the waste of money that you're spending every day of the week. Thank you, Deputy.
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