Protecting yourself against the impending Sinn Fein "Wealth" grab

BlueSkyDreams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121391055#Comment_121391055

If you rent in Dublin and are on an average salary or below, you could be better off on welfare today, nevermind with SF in power.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121386046#Comment_121386046

Income taxes aren't the only tax.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121381947#Comment_121381947

I'd be the last one to defend FF or FG, but I don't think you're doing a fair comparison. Yes, we absolutely have serious problems in many areas, and very serious structural issues in housing and health. But we've also have many, many hugely positive developments in those areas.

We've had many positive developments in health over the last couple of generations, with improvements in life expectancy (which brings other challenges), very positive improvements in cancer, stroke, cardiac treatments, fair deal scheme for elder car and lots, lots more.

In housing, we absolutely have huge supply issues, but we've also made huge leaps forward in quality of housing in both public and private sectors - away from the dreaded bedsits into vaguely decent apartment settings. New social housing units are of excellent quality.

We've never had more people employed in Ireland. At risk of going all 'avocado toast', you only have to look around you to see the amount of money being spent on entertainment, holidays, branded clothing and footwear, and of course, Turkey teeth and Turkey hair and pumped up lips and boobs.

We're living in a very different Ireland to that of 80s and 90s.

SharkMX

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121391595#Comment_121391595

Its more that SF will more than likely make working pay less. So might be time to get used to the idea of moving to the other side.

Sconsey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121392244#Comment_121392244

But that only works if you are broke, once you are means tested the whole welfare-paradise fantasy evaporates. Much and all as I dislike SF and believe they will make a bollix of our economy (and society), I doubt they will make it easier for people to claim welfare if they do not need it.

SharkMX

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121392289#Comment_121392289

They will definitely make it worse for the worker though.

Sconsey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121392304#Comment_121392304

Yep I totally agree on that, I can see them raiding private pensions, private savings, etc. once they realize they cannot fund the non-stop promises they have been making for years.

BlueSkyDreams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121392289#Comment_121392289

If you dont have a job you will need it.

And if its better financially for someone not to have a job then why stay working.

taratee

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121392364#Comment_121392364

People need to calm down. SF can't do that. Think about the amount of damage that'd do to the party and the image of the country on the international stage. SF have no track record in government. If they mess up their first stint in government people are going to remember that for generations to come. If SF get into government, they'll play things very, very safe. FF/FG have made mistakes over the years but they have credit in the bank. SF have nothing and the majority of voting public won't put up with raids on pensions, private savings etc from them.

tinytobe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058264812/protecting-yourself-against-the-impending-sinn-fein-wealth-grab

It's possible that the US multinationals in Ireland would consider leaving if the SF gets into government. The SF is all about wealth grabs and taxes and more taxes.

Ireland under a SF government, I'd say Brexit-UK is a better choice, by then.

Shoog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121393348#Comment_121393348

Wishful thinking on your part, they are here because of the skilled workforce and have billions invested in plant. They get a favourable corporation tax but it's far from the only reason why they consider Ireland an ideal gateway into the EU.

No one is investing in the country (GB)that has locked itself out of the biggest market in the world. The cost of multinationals selling from the UK into the EU is crippling.

There is far to must hysterical overreaction on this thread.

tinytobe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121393402#Comment_121393402

I understand.

But higher taxes and bigger regulations rarely attracted investment.

Whether that's Ireland or any other country....

And who knows what Brexit UK does in the future? A Switzerland or Norway style deal might work wonders. That is if they are smart, ( which they aren't )

Shoog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121393494#Comment_121393494

Ireland is one of the cheapest nations for multinationals to operate in the EU, that is not going to change even under a SF government. The absolute worst they would do is peg taxes just below the next cheapest country.

The presumption you have is they are actually stupid. History shows they have played a long and careful game and really haven't put a foot wrong since the good Friday agreement. They have outsmarted the DUP by a large margin and managed to present themselves as the adults in the room up north.

Have your hatred but don't make **** up.

tinytobe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121393515#Comment_121393515

It's not hatred. I simply won't ever vote for them, no matter what they say, promise or claim to be true.

They may capture an audience and voters, but they can't solve problems. - least of all housing.

I would never believe that any tax would solve Ireland's housing crisis. It's way more a question of supply and demand rather than anything else...

Shoog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121393544#Comment_121393544

Whether you choose to vote for them is not really important - your personal anamosity means you were never a lost vote.

The issue in the country, and the reason SF are riding high, is because people are no longer willing to accept the undelivered assurances from the current bunch who have had 20 years to solve the housing crisis. To vote for the current bunch and expect a different outcome is the definition of madness.

tinytobe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121393574#Comment_121393574

The problem is, things won't get better with SF.

It's just that SF is promising things which will with utter certainty never get better.

Again you can believe in what you like, say what you like, or vote for whomever you like.

It's a free country.

I just don't see any future with the SF. As the headline says "protecting yourself against the impending SF Wealth grab".

Makes you wonder, why should you work and perform, if it's taken away from you with idiotic excuses.

pavb2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121392816#Comment_121392816

Private pensions were taxed by the government from 2011 to 2015 to the tune of 2.4 billion euro. I remember being quite aggrieved at the time as I couldn’t access much needed funds to put into my business yet the government all of a sudden could.

As I recall there wasn’t too much protest against it.

blanch152

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121392816#Comment_121392816

What makes you think that? Sinn Fein will bank on raiding pensions and savings as being popular with their voters. They won't mind wrecking the economy to keep them in power. That's what they have done in the North for the last 40 years.

blanch152

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121393515#Comment_121393515

Have you read their proposals?

Their proposals on income tax would add about 10% to the cost of employing someone here, their proposals on corporation tax will cause businesses to leave.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121393662#Comment_121393662

Maybe you should avoid putting money into pension funds and availing of all that generous tax relief in the future so, to make sure a small bit of it doesn't get clawed back.

pavb2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121394146#Comment_121394146

Maybe the government shouldn’t have moved the goal posts and accessed my private pension. As they were allowed access maybe they should have also given me the option of withdrawing funds at the appropriate rate of tax…

Are you suggesting that we should’nt invest in private pensions and we all rely on the state pension?

BlueSkyDreams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121393574#Comment_121393574

What makes you think SF will deliver more houses than the current govt?

The current govt will exceed the housing target this year and very likley exceed it next year, also.

Madness is voting for someone because they are different, but not because they are a viable alternative.

twowheelsonly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121393662#Comment_121393662

Civil Service are still paying the Pension Levy to this day. It was rebranded as ASC but it's still the Pension Levy.

Along with USC that's money that we would have had in our pocket pre-2011

Strumms

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121392816#Comment_121392816

Don’t think they can embrace the status quo…. They’ve gone out on a limb for a number of years about what they are going to do to basically change every facet of the country….and according to them for the better.

if they don’t follow through with about 70% of their promises they might lose votes and support very quickly. I can see it being an almighty scandal filled cluster fûck couple of years of a government, when / if they get in…

if they go gung-ho and too aggressively they’ll lose too so really they are going to lose face and probably support whichever path they choose.

and the citizens of Ireland will be forced to watch on, from underneath the bus we’ll all be thrown under by them by the looks of it.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121394262#Comment_121394262

I'm suggesting that moaning about 'raiding of pensions' when actually there was a very small clawback of some of the very generous tax relief given to those pension investments, at a time of stringent cutbacks affecting every group in society, is just a little over the top. You had the same options to withdraw funds as you had before - nothing changed there. Pensions were always about saving for retirement, and were still pretty much an unbeatable investment option, even with the small claw back of tax.

Montage of Feck

I preferred the beardy provo SF, they were the edgy party to vote for back then, the current wishy washy FF+ does nothing for me. Just going to have to spoil my vote or vote labour, lol.

FrozenDriveway

My major issue with Sinn Fein is their unrealistic housing policy. They talk about building housing on public land but even their own members are opposing developments due to nimbyism. Even if the proposed developments went unopposed then who is going to build them? Contractors and developers aren't going to be able to ramp up to scale to provide both affordable homes and to half the council house waiting lists as they have promised to achieve in one term of government. Their policy on immigration will only increase these lists. It's unachievable in one term of government and the dissenting base who will support them at the next election won't be happy at the end of their term.

The solution to housing needs cross party support and to be able to survive at least two election cycles in order to meet the scale of the crisis.

The same criticism could be held against any of the current parties who seem more interested in point scoring than actually achieving anything.

Sinn Fein also want to instruct the Central Bank to decrease interest rates. A complete recipe for disaster.

We could be on the cusp of making things a lot worse...

Avon8

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121393515#Comment_121393515

"History shows they have played a long and careful game and really haven't put a foot wrong since the good Friday agreement."

Ive no skin in the game here really but you can't actually believe the above can you? They've pushed unfettered populism down everyone's throats at every opportunity.

Take their adoption of Zero Covid for example, one of the most disastrous policies in modern history. They knew that policy was completely and utterly unworkable with an open border, something that's fundamental to their actual existence, nevermind the moronic strategic logic behind the policy. Yet they still adopted it. The prevailing sentiment from that push undoubtedly delayed construction workers returning to sites, contributing hugely to a furthering housing crises that they parrot at every opportunity.

And then there's their record in the North since the GFA

taratee

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121394392#Comment_121394392

Totally agree that it'll be one hell of a circus. That being said, they can embrace the status quo to a certain extent and blame FF/FG and everyone else for their inability to fulfill their promises. They are world class when it comes to playing the victim. SF are inexperienced, populist but they are not that daft. I just can't see them raiding pensions, savings etc.

taratee

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121393797#Comment_121393797

Raiding pensions etc is a last resort. They'd have to make one hell of a mess of things to get to that point. I think they'd bolt long before that. I don't pay that much attention to NI but when the going gets though up there, SF have bolted on plenty of occasions. A stint in government in NI is a cakewalk compared to a stint down here.