Well, whats your initial reaction towards the Budget?

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Sarah

I don't think it was good budget. Then again, I'm just your typical gobshite, not the sort of person anyone would elect to the DÃ¡il.

There are a lot of things that affect the low income people. I think the extra 1% tax upto â‚¬100,000 is bad. I have nothing against taxing people who can afford it, but if, as he said, he is being guided by fairness he should be looking after those who are worse off.

The extra on car tax and petrol are also giving a lot of the hard off another kick in the nuts. Where I live, if you work outside of the town (and there is very little work in the town), going without a car is just not feasible. Inishowen is an unemployment blackspot to start with and it just isn't possible to work in the nearest large town (Letterkenny) without a car. The first bus doesn't get there until after 9, and the last bus leaves at 5:10 - so even getting to a 9-5 job by public transport isn't possible. If they then decide Letterkenny is an "urban centre", then are employers going to pay the extra â‚¬200 per year to let you park there anyway?

The reduction then removal of child benefit for 18year olds is going to reduce the number of people taking not just degrees / higher certs - but even the leaving cert, so even when the economy picks up it will probably be easier for EU immigrants to get Irish jobs than many Irish people.

Early childcare supplement being scrapped from 5 1/2 years again will cripple working people who are finding it difficult to make ends meet, and means testing for medical cards for the over 70s - well, has it not occurred to the minister that the over 70s are generally not in as good health as the 20-40 year old age bracket and will likely need to see the doctor more often. If he was going to do this he should have come up with some measure to ensure they aren't paying â‚¬40 per week for regular doctors appointments - and limited the costs they have to pay to say one appointment per month with the rest free.

Increasing dole payments by â‚¬6.50 per week, while making it harder for working people just above cut-off points is going make working for your money less attractive, and indeed less affordable. If you have a job you need to drive to that doesn't pay much you'll be screwed since it will now cost you more to drive and you'll be paying more tax, assuming that after the budget your employer will even let you park there.

I think with such a huge proportion of people expected to lose their jobs and up in the dole queues, more should have been done to make part-time work attractive, since people holding even part time jobs that might otherwise go unfilled will both cost the treasury less in welfare payments, and give people the self respect of at least knowing they are earning part of their wages.

I do like the idea of the overpaid ministers losing 10% of their salary, but it remains to be seen whether they will come up with some 'stealth' way of boosting it instead.

I don't have an 'in-principle' problem with the idea of raising the duty on fags, but only if accompanied by some form of help for addicted smokers, such as free or subsidised "quitting clinics" and maybe a vat exemptions for nicotine patches etc. However, if I was a smoker, I think I'd be off to either some dodgy smuggler or Derry to pick up my fags now

hi223

First reaction, was "hey extra 1% tax up to 100,000 and 2% after 100,000, seems little unfair to those working for pennies", should have been 35/30,000 to 100,000, me thinks, or at least something similar.

Oh and those 70's got nailed, stopping medical cards but giving them 400? What the hell is 400, gonna do? I ll tell ya-squat!

Well Im off to pump up my bike tyres now, I know my employer aint gonna be payin for my parkin! Ah the aul rothar................................

Cailin Ceilteach

Bye bye university. And Education and Health is so something the should never compromise, how thick can they be?

pmcc

I'm well pissed off...Got the news yesterday that my hours would be cut from 5 days down to 4. Its money i need.

On top of that we had the budget today so its grim times for me..

bazspur3

i thought it was gonna be a lot worse to be honest.

pollbee

Well,2 euro,s towards fuel allowance is just not acceptable,considering all gas and electricity and coal is gone sky high.

carla

im really pissed off over the price petrol is going up to,it finally dropped in the last few weeks and now its back to square one again. its terrible about means testing over 70s for a medical card is that what they worked they whole lives and paid tax to be give 400 euro towards their health.
im not too sure how the 1% levy tax thing will work out but surely find out soon, 2 euro a week is terrible for fuel allowance not that i get it anyway. thankfully they havent really changed child benefit its much needed by most families and im shocked they didnt finish the child care payment just cut backt the age limit so i got one piece of good news from it.

when the sun goes down

*collapses*

reginaldstower

its going be tough

Christine

If your to judge a country on how it treats its most vulnerable than the government should be shot. Ok, a bit extreme, but there should be a public outcry, or should I say an even louder and active public outcry over this 'budget'.

The retail industry has suffered declining sales for over a year, so what do the gobshites in power do! Increase taxes, sure to get us all back into the shops and stimulate the economy, the only problem is the shops will be in Northern Ireland

As for the over 70s!! Do these cowards not HAVE parents, what would he suggest we do, shoot them because it costs less?

SHAME on this government. Basic economics states we need to stimulate growth to get out of recessions, all these eejits have done is brought on some sort of economic entropy, and we'll probably be the only country in Europe in a depression within a year. sure how can any one run business with high oil prices made even higher. Is there ANYONE with a bit of common sense in the Dept of Finance?

What makes me laugh, or cry, the most is the tax on wine, but not on beer, because after all they want to appeal to their 'working class' voters. And this crap probably does work on some idiots, someone keeps voting them back in!!!

Its a day later and I've calmed down a bit from yesterday, and I'm still angry. I don't mind 'tightening my belt' if I was presented with a vision, stragegy and plan to move foward, all we got is a solicitor trying to do finance. Just a joke, but we're paying the price, and its not funny

This government couldn't run a tap, never mind a country!

Tigon

What budget?

EDIT

A budget is supposed to decide how you spent money you already HAVE wisely and sensibly.

Did any one hear Gordon Brown say that he'd eliminate "boom and bust"? Well, apparently he now claims he didn't say that but actually said that he'd eliminate "Tory boom and bust"! Unbelievable! So a "Labour boom and bust" is alright then is it? Give me strength!

There's and urban myth that everyone was healthier half-starved and freezing every winter living on rations during WW2.

Looks like we're all going get a chance to get a lot "healthier" over the next few years!

Cheer up! It might neva 'appen!

therehastobeonethatisnttaken

Exactly, What budget? all the crooks er' politicians seem to do is spend spend spend without regards to any budgeting, "Oh what do you mean were out of money? I guess we'll just have to raise taxes again."

Due baby no.3 on the 4th of June

indifferent, i dont think could have done any more

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