Budget 2017

JustTheOne

Side Gate wrote: »

Round and round we go. Nothing changes FG/FF wash and repeat. We deserve all we get as a nation voting these goons in again and again and expecting real change.

Did FG wreck the country?

They inherited a mess. This happened in the 80s aswell as 5 years ago. They steady the ship and back along comes FF to wreck it again.

FG have many faults but FF are the biggest snakes ever to run this country.

lawlolawl

mariaalice wrote: »

The elderly and older people vote more by a long shot.

Yeah and it isn't only the pension increase that is aimed at them. The first time buyers thing will be well received by them as well because they see their children /grandchildren struggling to afford a house and this measure looks like a positive move to alleviate that. Same with the child care thing.

It nearly more about optics than actually doing something about the problem.

pumpkin4life

Put a knife through the bloated public sector. My experience working there before = watching AOs put together excel sheets on how good the free food for meetings was. Shìt you not. 80%+ of it needs to go.

Widen the tax base. I'm paying 50% and its ludicrous that I'm doing so. Ditch the USC. Renua's 15% at least went somewhere.

24% of our budget on public expenditure is way too much. That needs to drop.

Perhaps do things like no fees paid for for a non STEM course. Why should I pay for little Timmy to read Shakespeare lol?

mojesius

He'll whack the fags up to 11 euro and a small box of rolling tobacco will go up above 7 euro. I've quit smoking but it's an easy target. I feel sorry for the aul ones and aul fellas who just want their few fags and have to fork out over a tenner a box.

With that said, most smokers I know have a near-constant supply of foreign-bought tobacco now. 'Fumar mata' galore in pub smoking areas.

mariaalice

Childcare should be vouchers to the parents which can be cashed in by the childcare facilities or transferred to to more informal child care arrangements. This would put the parents in the driving seat and increase competition.

Help for first time buyer should be in the form of a tax rebated which would only kick in one year after purchases of the property so as not to cause a increase in house prices

Lovely Bloke

mojesius wrote: »

He'll whack the fags up to 11 euro and a small box of rolling tobacco will go up above 7 euro. I've quit smoking but it's an easy target. I feel sorry for the aul ones and aul fellas who just want their few fags and have to fork out over a tenner a box.

With that said, most smokers I know have a near-constant supply of foreign-bought tobacco now. 'Fumar mata' galore in pub smoking areas.

you start taxing the easy things like smokes too much though and the black market is ripe.

mojesius

mariaalice wrote: »

Childcare should be vouchers to the parents which can be cashed in by the childcare facilities or transferred to to more informal child care arrangements. This would put the parents in the driving seat and increase competition.

Help for first time buyer should be in the form of a tax rebated which would only kick in one year after purchases of the property so as not to cause a increase in house prices

Totally agree with both points, but it makes too much sense for FG.

Any new build houses in my area are at least 400k (for a 3 bed), while you can get an older 3bed house for less than 300k. I don't need a high-spec, self-heating, picket fences house on a grand setting with a walk on wardrobe. A doer upper would do me!

VinLieger

lawlolawl wrote: »

It nearly more about optics than actually doing something about the problem.

Ohh its completely about optics.

First time buyers will help nobody as there are nowhere near enough new houses being built, the grant will just push the price up anyway AND the 5% caps out at 400k and good luck finding anew house being built in any city that comes anywhere near 400k

Then the child care joke where only people with kids in full time care can use it.

None of the positive schemes they are introducing will affect a substantial group of the people they are supposedly being aimed at. They all completely miss the mark and just make for good rhetoric

lawred2

mariaalice wrote: »

Childcare should be vouchers to the parents which can be cashed in by the childcare facilities or transferred to to more informal child care arrangements. This would put the parents in the driving seat and increase competition.

Help for first time buyer should be in the form of a tax rebated which would only kick in one year after purchases of the property so as not to cause a increase in house prices

I thought it was going to be a tax rebate paid over two years after purchase..

Please don't tell me it's going to be in the form of an upfront cheque?

They might as well just hand it to Tom Parlon and cut out the middlemen if that's the case.

lawred2

VinLieger wrote: »

Ohh its completely about optics.

First time buyers will help nobody as there are nowhere near enough new houses being built, the grant will just push the price up anyway AND the 5% caps out at 400k and good luck finding anew house being built in any city that comes anywhere near 400k

?

Seanachai

JustTheOne wrote: »

Did FG wreck the country?

They inherited a mess. This happened in the 80s aswell as 5 years ago. They steady the ship and back along comes FF to wreck it again.

FG have many faults but FF are the biggest snakes ever to run this country.

The ship is steady alright and the captain and the officers are in their quarters eating fine fayre, but the crew have scurvy and are on the verge of mutiny if they don't get some relief soon.

VinLieger

lawred2 wrote: »

?

I mean as low as 400k, they are giving 5% rebate for houses up to 400k, after 400k it caps at a 20k rebate. Try and find a new house that costs 400k in dublin right now

lawred2

VinLieger wrote: »

I mean as low as 400k, they are giving 5% rebate for houses up to 400k, after 400k it caps at a 20k rebate. Try and find a new house that costs 400k in dublin right now

I would imagine that there's loads..

A lot of new build projects in West Dublin are largely aimed at the sub 400k bracket are they not?

L.Jenkins

Is this where we come to bypass the news and get our Budget Commentary?

Seanachai

lawred2 wrote: »

I would imagine that there's loads..

A lot of new build projects in West Dublin are largely aimed at the sub 400k bracket are they not?

People are picky, West Dublin isn't Drumcondra or Rathmines, they would probably live on pot noddles for five years sooner than move out there.

VinLieger

lawred2 wrote: »

I would imagine that there's loads..

A lot of new build projects in West Dublin are largely aimed at the sub 400k bracket are they not?

And the standard + facilities mean they are once again crap so the builders can build them for that price, the problem once again is the cost of building hasnt been solved

Lovely Bloke

Seanachai wrote: »

People are picky, West Dublin isn't Drumcondra or Rathmines, they would probably live on pot noddles for five years sooner than move out there.

Yeah but Drumcondra and Rathmines are properly serviced by regular public transport and are close to amenities.

Estates in West Dublin are served by irregular public transport and are close to no amenities.

It also takes a very long time to get anywhere else from West Dublin at peak travel times.

ThisRegard

Lovely Bloke wrote: »

Estates in West Dublin are served by irregular public transport and are close to no amenities.

It also takes a very long time to get anywhere else from West Dublin at peak travel times.

West Dublin is a pretty big place, stretching from City West and Saggart on the south, to Finglas/Ballymun/Coolock on the north. Many parts of west Dublin have a regular train service, all parts of west Dublin have regular bus services.

As for amenities, what amenities exactly are nowhere to be found in west Dublin?

And if you want to get to north Dublin from west Dublin at peak times, you can be there quicker than you would be from south Dublin, and vice versa. To get 'anywhere' is all relative to where that 'anywhere' is, isn't it?

murpho999

mojesius wrote: »

He'll whack the fags up to 11 euro and a small box of rolling tobacco will go up above 7 euro. I've quit smoking but it's an easy target. I feel sorry for the aul ones and aul fellas who just want their few fags and have to fork out over a tenner a box.

With that said, most smokers I know have a near-constant supply of foreign-bought tobacco now. 'Fumar mata' galore in pub smoking areas.

I actually think it's a good thing and if it prevents people from smoking then how can it be criticized?

Bigby

Haven't bought a packet of cigarettes in Ireland since they went over a tenner. The black market is only going to get bigger now.

I see the old fogies are being minded yet again, they were hardly touched during the recession and here we are giving them another raise. The Christmas "bonus" is going up as well. What an absolute joke! Should we not be trying to bring down our welfare spend?

qo2cj1dsne8y4k

Bigby wrote: »

Haven't bought a packet of cigarettes in Ireland since they went over a tenner. The black market is only going to get bigger now.

I see the old fogies are being minded yet again, they were hardly touched during the recession and here we are giving them another raise. The Christmas "bonus" is going up as well. What an absolute joke! Should we not be trying to bring down our welfare spend?

The old fogies are the ones who paved the way for the generation after them to ruin it with greed. The old fogies were already living hand to mouth and are the most vulnerable in society with absolutely no way of helping themselves. I for one have no problem paying tax that goes towards looking after people who helped to build our country to what it was.

JP Liz V1

85% back as Christmas bonus for Social Welfare is pretty high

jimgoose

Bigby wrote: »

...I see the old fogies are being minded yet again, they were hardly touched during the recession and here we are giving them another raise. The Christmas "bonus" is going up as well. What an absolute joke! Should we not be trying to bring down our welfare spend?

They had hardly anything during the recession. And they reared you and me, in some cases with great difficulty and hardship, without complaining about it. Only to be listening to mean-spirited sanctimonious crap like that. Anything that keeps the "old fogies" a little more comfortable is fine with me. I hope you're not worried about keeping at least one room bearably warm this Winter.

VinLieger

jimgoose wrote: »

They had hardly anything during the recession. And they reared you and me, in some cases with great difficulty and hardship, without complaining about it. Only to be listening to mean-spirited sanctimonious crap like that. Anything that keeps the "old fogies" a little more comfortable is fine with me. I hope you're not worried about keeping at least one room bearably warm this Winter.

We keep hearing they are the largest most consistent voting block therefore do they not bear a larger amount of responsibility for voting in government after government that got us to where we are? Im not saying we should be taking vengeance but surely you can understand why people would be a bit unsympathetic?

Similar to how the oldies voted for brexit and were by and large responsible for it with their vote yet i bet when things hit the fan as they definitely will, they will also be complaining for everyone to take care of them?

jimgoose

VinLieger wrote: »

We keep hearing they are the largest most consistent voting block therefore do they not bear a larger amount of responsibility for voting in government after government that got us to where we are? Im not saying we should be taking vengeance but surely you can understand why people would be a bit unsympathetic?

Similar to how the oldies voted for brexit and were by and large responsible for it with their vote yet i bet when things hit the fan as they definitely will be complaining for everyone to take care of them?

I'm having a little difficulty working up much in the way of foaming-at-the-mouth over their €5 a week from next March, as opposed to the Ministers' ~€95 a week effective immediately.

VinLieger

jimgoose wrote: »

I'm having a little difficulty working up much in the way of foaming-at-the-mouth over their €5 a week from next March, as opposed to the Ministers' ~€95 a week effective immediately.

I agree thats a disgrace as well but which one is gonna cost the state more?

jimgoose

VinLieger wrote: »

I agree thats a disgrace as well but which one is gonna cost the state more?

The pensioners' €5 increase, of course. But only because it is pathetically inadequate.

VinLieger

jimgoose wrote: »

The pensioners' €5 increase, of course. But only because it is pathetically inadequate.

And thats as a result of countless governments ignoring the issue that is the state pension time bomb because they know if they touch it in any way the pensioners will go ballistic yet they are equally responsible for its current inadequate state by refusing to let previous government s do anything to it.

qo2cj1dsne8y4k

VinLieger wrote: »

We keep hearing they are the largest most consistent voting block therefore do they not bear a larger amount of responsibility for voting in government after government that got us to where we are? Im not saying we should be taking vengeance but surely you can understand why people would be a bit unsympathetic?

Similar to how the oldies voted for brexit and were by and large responsible for it with their vote yet i bet when things hit the fan as they definitely will be complaining for everyone to take care of them?

I think back to this man that my dad knew when we were kids. We would go for a walk every Sunday after dinner and this old man would be always outside, almost like he was waiting for someone to pass so he could talk to.
He would bring us inside, make my dad tea and give me and my brother red lemonade, that was a bit flat that it was open so long. But he kept it there, just incase any kids called in.

He had a radio, no tv. And he just had concrete on the floor, and a cooker that burned turf. Everything was old and dark and well used.

As an adult that makes me sad. At how lonely he was that he'd stand waiting for people to pass because otherwise he'd see nobody. At how poor he obviously was, but how kind he was.

If an extra 5 euro a week means that someone like him can have a warm house, a floor to walk on, and be comfortable enough not to be hungry, I don't begrudge a few extra euro so they can get out of the house for a bit, or be able to pick up the phone and call someone for a chat if they feel down or lonely.

It breaks my heart seeing old people eating alone or thinking of them feeling isolated and vulnerable. If I lose my job I can staunch it out. I can reskill, go back to college, take a lower paying job, do nixers at home, or pack up and leave the country. I have people who care about me, I have my health that I can get out and socialise. My friends and partner would never see me cold or hungry if things got so bad.

Can you say the same for an old person? It was only last week 2 old men were found dead in their house, and nobody noticed for weeks.

Would it make you feel better about having to rent as opposed to being able to buy your own home, knowing that the old fogie might own their own home but they can't afford to keep it warm and keep food on the table? Because that's actually twisted.

MeatTwoVeg

LexieOnRale wrote:

The old fogies are the ones who paved the way for the generation after them to ruin it with greed. The old fogies were already living hand to mouth and are the most vulnerable in society with absolutely no way of helping themselves. I for one have no problem paying tax that goes towards looking after people who helped to build our country to what it was.

They are in me bollox, but as long as they have mouthpieces such as yourself peddling the 'poor awl crater' myth, they'll keep hoovering up any available funding which would be better spent on targeted interventions.
The 'old fogies' aren't a homogeneous group. A huge proportion of them are very comfortably off. Meanwhile young working couples struggle to pay mortgages, childcare and taxes.

But never mind eh, better to pretend the awl Grannies are struggling to put a briquette in the fire wrapped up in a shawl like Peig Sayers.