Sharon Keogan criticises USC U-turn, demands cuts at the top
Sharon Keogan spoke about the universal social charge (USC), denouncing it as a temporary crisis tax that has become permanent and arguing it disproportionately hits the working poor. She criticised Fine Gael for breaking a 2016 pledge to abolish the USC and called for savings to start with political and oversized public-sector spending rather than ordinary families.
Context of the remarks
Sharon Keogan said the USC was introduced as a temporary measure in a crisis but has remained in place for a decade and a half. She accused the government of treating the USC as a "sacred pillar of fiscal stability" and described Fine Gael's promise to abolish the charge in 2016 as having been abandoned without apology.
Who she says is affected
Keogan argued the burden falls hardest on the working poor - naming carers, shop owners, taxi drivers and parents juggling two jobs - and said the USC shaves off the few euros they need for food, energy, school costs and rent.
Revenue and political accountability
She contrasted the persistence of the USC with a rise in corporation tax receipts, citing an increase from roughly £4 billion in 2012 to almost £40 billion by 2025 and saying the money exists but political will and honesty do not. Keogan urged that if cuts are required they should start with the pensions of ministers and TDs who promised to abolish the USC and then abandoned the pledge.
NGO spending and public-sector scrutiny
She called for scrutiny of the NGO sector, asserting that millions are spent on organisations with overlapping roles, minimal transparency and limited accountability, and argued that belt-tightening should begin where public money has expanded rather than on households already stretched thin.
Closing of the speech
Keogan concluded by reiterating that ordinary working people should not bear the burden of the USC and ended her remarks with the Irish phrase from the transcript, "Go raibh maigod."
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.
I rise today to speak about the universal social charge. When the USC was introduced, we were told it was a temporary measure. A crisis tax for a crisis moment. Yet here we are, a decade and a half later, with a government still clinging to it as though it were some sacred pillar of fiscal stability. On all of this, when Fine Gael promised to abolish the USC. They stood before the voters in 2016 with that pledge. And today, a complete U-turn. Not even an apology, just silence and spin. Meanwhile, the people bearing the brunt are not the wealthy, not the multinationals, not the political class, but the working poor. The carers, the shop owners, the taxi drivers, the parents juggling two jobs. USC hits hardest, those who can least afford it. Shaving off the few euros they desperately need for food, energy, school costs and rent. And yet we are told we cannot abolish the USC because the state needs the money. Well, corporation tax receipts have skyrocketed from roughly £4 billion in 2012 to almost £40 billion by 2025. A tenfold increase. The money is there. What is lacking is political will and political honesty. If cuts are required to make up the difference, then let us have the courage to start at the top. Begin by cutting the pensions of the very ministers and TDs who promised to abolish USC. And then abandon that promise once safely in office. Actions should have consequences, especially when those actions burden ordinary working people. And while we are trimming excess, let us look at the bloated NGO sector, where millions are spent annually on organisations with overlapping roles, minimal transparency and limited accountability. If we must tighten belts, let us start with the sectors that have grown fat on public money. Not with the pockets of those already stretching to breaking. Go raibh maigod.
Thank you for downloading 🙏
If you publish this material on social media, we would be very grateful if you tagged VideoParliament. It helps us reach more people and keep building a transparent archive of Irish politics.
