The AH Budget discussion thread.

Charlie

OPENROAD wrote: »

Yes it tends to be in working class areas but in England they still have very little support certainly in terms of councils/MP.


I would like to think it would be the same here, but who knows

I don't have all the stats and wot not, but I am sure that in the last 3 years, the BNP has been taking a significant number of council seats, and is polling well in by elections that take place in the areas it considers to have an open ear to an alternative/right wing solution to the immigration situation in the UK.

Darragh29

mickos wrote: »

I agree I'm in a relatively low paid job and am pi$$ed off about the budget today but at the same I'd much rather be in my situation than that of someone on the dole. And the truth be known I can't gaurantee that I won't be out of a job in the next few months myself, as I work in a small company which could easily go under unless business picks up and I'm sure there are many others in the same boat.
Its unfair to say people on social welfare are there by choice or are well able to work because for the majority that is just not the case.

+1. I think they have the unemployment figures for 2009 completely wrong. 7.2% me arse, I know many people are worried that there is nothing going on where they work, a lot of businesses are doing very little at the moment.

In the motor trade, things have never been like this. I've mates who are in sales who are selling a car a week IF they are lucky. This obviously can't continue, these businesses will eventually go to the wall if things don't pick up and there is no sign of this happening...

The truth is that when we had money in the last 10 years, instead of building schools, we've been throwing money at the social partners for benchmarking, pay inceases without performance accountability, etc.

K-9

Oh, €3.50 a week is terrible for somebody on minimum wage to pay. What would it buy you? A pint?

javaboy

Darragh29 wrote: »

In the motor trade, things have never been like this. I've mates who are in sales who are selling a car a week IF they are lucky.

One of the major problems affecting sales in the motor trade is that people in steady jobs who regularly change their cars and have had no problem making payments in the past are getting turned down by their banks for finance.

There are definitely less people looking to buy but many of those who would now find they can't.

mickos

You'll get them going again darragh talking about your mates:D but your dead right. Where I live there are a lot of new motor dealerships gone up in the last few years which are now doing no business. I seen one at the weekend with a 25% of sale. I've never seen anything like that before. These dealerships have been built in prime locations with massive overheads they must be very worried.

jaffa20

Seanies32 wrote: »

Oh, €3.50 a week is terrible for somebody on minimum wage to pay. What would it buy you? A pint?

Half a pint if your lucky and of course, a large % of that will be taken back in taxes!

OPENROAD

charlie mchugh wrote: »

I don't have all the stats and wot not, but I am sure that in the last 3 years, the BNP has been taking a significant number of council seats, and is polling well in by elections that take place in the areas it considers to have an open ear to an alternative/right wing solution to the immigration situation in the UK.

They have around 50 councillors while 50 is too many it is still a very small number, they also saw their overall vote fall in the local elections last May and they failed to make the gains they were hoping for in those areas they had targeted.

Toto Wolfcastle

So I not only have to pay more to fill my petrol tank, I also spent 10 minutes of my time stuck on the road outside a local petrol station because the queue for petrol extended onto the road.

As regards child benefit, my mother's friend, who has 3 kids, including twins, made out that she will miss out on 7000 euro over the changes.

Also, did I hear that college registration fees are going up by 50%? That's just freaking ridiculous.

Darragh29

mickos wrote: »

You'll get them going again darragh talking about your mates:D but your dead right. Where I live there are a lot of new motor dealerships gone up in the last few years which are now doing no business. I seen one at the weekend with a 25% of sale. I've never seen anything like that before. These dealerships have been built in prime locations with massive overheads they must be very worried.

Yeah I'm an awful c*nt for having a wide circle of friends! Whatever is going on, the motor trade is lying on its t*t's and the increase in VAT won't help.

GrahamThomas

OPENROAD wrote: »

The BNP has very little support in the UK and could not see that style of party getiing a foothold here.

OPENROAD wrote: »

They have around 50 councillors while 50 is too many it is still a very small number, they also saw their overall vote fall in the local elections last May and they failed to make the gains they were hoping for in those areas they had targeted.

Just a few thoughts on this lads:

Unfortunately it would be a lot easier for a right wing BNP-style party to win council or Dail seats here in Ireland.

Our P.R (Proportional Representation) voting system means that small parties get a number of seats that is generally pretty proportional to their overall vote.

This is a bit different to the UK, where it's far harder for smaller parties to get people elected and the Liberal Democrats, for example, got 22% of the vote but only 9% of the seats in their last general election.

K-9

Darragh29 wrote: »

Yeah I'm an awful c*nt for having a wide circle of friends! Whatever is going on, the motor trade is lying on its t*t's and the increase in VAT won't help.

Well, it's another industry built on easy credit and the keeping up with the Jones mentality.

A BMW dealership near me had the chance to build a new garage etc. last year. He refused and sold up. Good decision.

The ones who opened flagship stores over the last couple of years and thought the good times would never end: Bad decision!

Thems the brakes! Sorry for the bad pun!

LightningBolt

javaboy wrote: »

The electorate blew the last election.

Not a chance I'd vote in FG, what viable alternative is there?

xOxSinéadxOx

everything about this budget is balls

super_furry

Galls me to say it but after watching the budget and the other parties reactions to this farce, Sinn Fein are the only party that came out with any credibility for me.

I need a shower.

javaboy

super_furry wrote: »

Galls me to say it but after watching the budget and the other parties reactions to this farce, Sinn Fein are the only party that came out with any credibility for me.

I need a shower.

Well Sinn Féin have the advantage of being able to come out with any old nonsense when it comes to the budget like "Lower taxes, increase expenditure and reduce the national debt" because they will never in reality have to put any of it into practice. The other opposition parties who might actually end up in government some day have to temper their remarks a bit because if they criticise the government over something they end up later having to do themselves, then they will look like idiots.

Pride Fighter

LightningBolt wrote: »

Not a chance I'd vote in FG, what viable alternative is there?

Ireland needs its own version of the Monster Raving Loony Party.

ven0m

Has anyone also factored in the power cost increases already more or less signed off for January 2009, that we're going to be even FURTHER out of pocket.

Everyone thinks the 1% is bad & how it more less negates most of the recently agreed new national pay deal, but the 30% increase in power costs to take affect January 2009 is going to affect your own shopping bills, service bills, home power bills & anything else you can think of.

I'd love for someone to explain to me how removing spendable money from the economy & increasing costs of living, while reducing people's take home pay is going to kick-start the economy, or even be positionable to be ready to jump on board in the event of an upturn?

Same as I don't see how the strategy of further assistance to first time buyers, while increasing DIRT on deposit accounts, reducing take home pay & increasing cost of living is going to help the residential property market before we get into a situation of mass reclamation of properties by banks, where houses go on the markets further below asking prices so banks make SOME recoup as opposed to writing off bad debts with tax implication costs as a way to improve their outstanding debt levels from property loans gone bad.

The budget makes little sense.

If this shower of ass clowns wanted REAL innovation to gather more tax money, they'd have done one of the most obvious & blatent solutions; remove motor tax completely, put the tax onto Fuel - in effect the American model.

The more fuel you use for your car, the more tax you're paying. This would then address the issue of not being able to claim road tax for the ever increasing number of foreign vehicles on Irish roads by people who are living & working here & engaging in flagrant tax evasion. It would make more sense, be more economical to collect & still achieve the same goals as what motor tax is meant to cover; people with big thirsty ass cars will be paying more, while being able to also levy a special petroleum environment tax on the fuel also, meaning again - the more you use, the more you contribute towards environmental costs, & again - all car owners of non-irish vehicles & Irish vehicles alike will be paying in, also in the same spirit of what the new motor tax bands are supposed to achieve.

now THAT's innovation - not what assclown Cowan & his meatpuppet Lenihan tried to pupport as 'innovation'.

taibhse

I'd like to know how this joke of a "departure tax" is going to work?

Surely it wouldn't be on the price of a ticket because if you're buying with a foreign airline it surely wouldn't be part of the purchasing process to ask are you from Ireland, if so give us €10.

So, they must collect it at the airport. What if you refuse to pay, they won't let you leave the country?, effectively holding you prisoner?



Also the jump in A&E fees from 66 to €100 is a complete farce, words cannot describe this idiocy, for a system run by a fat b*tch tub of lard harney

javaboy

taibhse wrote: »

I'd like to know how this joke of a "departure tax" is going to work?

Surely it wouldn't be on the price of a ticket because if you're buying with a foreign airline it surely wouldn't be part of the purchasing process to ask are you from Ireland, if so give us €10.

So, they must collect it at the airport. What if you refuse to pay, they won't let you leave the country?, effectively holding you prisoner?

I presume it will be applied to the taxes and charges of flying from an Irish airport. Simple enough to implement I'd say.

OPENROAD

taibhse wrote: »

I'd like to know how this joke of a "departure tax" is going to work?

Surely it wouldn't be on the price of a ticket because if you're buying with a foreign airline it surely wouldn't be part of the purchasing process to ask are you from Ireland, if so give us €10.

So, they must collect it at the airport. What if you refuse to pay, they won't let you leave the country?, effectively holding you prisoner?



Also the jump in A&E fees from 66 to €100 is a complete farce, words cannot describe this idiocy, for a system run by a fat b*tch tub of lard harney

My understanding is that it will apply to every passanger that departs from an Irish airport, so even tourists will be hit, it will just be added to your fare just like airport charges etc..

amacachi

ven0m wrote: »

Has anyone also factored in the power cost increases already more or less signed off for January 2009, that we're going to be even FURTHER out of pocket.

I'm sorry, this post reminds me of one of the union leaders saying that the average worker shouldn't have to suffer because of a recession. Do you know what a recession is?

Linku

gerbilgranny wrote: »

Caoimhín O'Caoláin made me laugh when asked for his view:

'This is a budget for emigration, and the Minister will be meeting you in the Departure Lounge, waiting to take more money from you for the privilege of leaving' (well something like that).

Anyone got this exact quote? It was quite good...

billy the squid

Blarney92 wrote: »

So let me get this straight....

They're charging us a tenner now to emigrate...

They missed that opportunity in the 80s, guess they want to make sure they get it right this time around.

ven0m

amacachi wrote: »

I'm sorry, this post reminds me of one of the union leaders saying that the average worker shouldn't have to suffer because of a recession. Do you know what a recession is?

WTF???

Do YOU even understand HOW you get OUT OF A RECESSION, or position to take advantage once it stems? you KEEP money available to spend in an economy, not remove it from it in such extremes.

What I said has nothing to do with unions (self serving evil bastards of things that they are!).

Dinter

While we can moan about high taxes here, lower rates for that, should have increased corporation tax, should have lowered social welfare, should have savaged the public sector, etc the main point that should be remembered is that this budget is solely being implemented to get money from you and put it into the hands of government.

Now while that seems plainly obvious, the fact of the matter is that this government has literally pissed away our most financially stable period ever on pet projects, mismanagement, greed and stupidity. It has implemented policies of astonishing short sightedness designed to pander to it's own interests and the interests of its rich friends. That is why it has arrived knocking at our doors with a begging bowl.

We're urged that it is our patriotic duty to dress in fashionable hairshirts and happily pass on our earnings to this government to ensure that they can continue their circus of horrors and once again squander the trust and money they receive from a long suffering public.

I for one am going to ensure that I'm not tax compliant this year. I feel that this is the surest and most effective way of showing my disapproval.

DarkJager

Patriotism is devotion and willingness to sacrifice for one's country. This budget had nothing to do with patriotism and neither those this income levy. I think Lenihan used that line as he wanted something ponderous to end 45 minutes of talking ****. This is not patriotism - I am not willing to sacrifice 1% of my income to this government, but I have no choice.

That is called Patriotism at gunpoint.

dade

Seanies32 wrote: »

Oh, €3.50 a week is terrible for somebody on minimum wage to pay. What would it buy you? A pint?

bread and milk at the least

prendy

ven0m wrote: »

WTF???

Do YOU even understand HOW you get OUT OF A RECESSION, or position to take advantage once it stems? you KEEP money available to spend in an economy, not remove it from it in such extremes.

What I said has nothing to do with unions (self serving evil bastards of things that they are!).

ridiculous comment, if it wasnt for unions in the 70's and 80's workers would have no rights and would be alot worse off today. yes now they seem to be unnecessary but i guarantee you people will be looking to them again if times get tough.
if it wasnt for unions employers would have complete control over every aspect of your working life.

Sengoku79

From July this year

http://www.herald.ie/national-news/83642bn-duty-loophole-to-remain-for-developers-1428998.html

So effectively not only are we keeping the Govt afloat, we are paying for their mates to rake it in.

ven0m

prendy wrote: »

ridiculous comment, if it wasnt for unions in the 70's and 80's workers would have no rights and would be alot worse off today. yes now they seem to be unnecessary but i guarantee you people will be looking to them again if times get tough.
if it wasnt for unions employers would have complete control over every aspect of your working life.

I agree, back then - probably necessary, but now - not so much. Your right are more enshrined within employment laws & in human rights laws.

There's more non unionised staff than unionised staff at present in ireland. Eircom is an example of unions being out of control, same with An Post & also Aer Lingus, & thats without even getting into the charade of 'civil servants'.

The majority of these people operated under & still do of 'a job for life' - wish the rest of us had that luxery, but isn't that a form of benefit-in-kind?

An axe needs to be taken to the public sector in terms of jobs & these people want to ensure no-one loses their jobs when there is gross wastage in mass amounts of middle management nonsense, & these people will fight tooth & nail to ensure it, while at the same time whinging about budgets that we got delivered yesterday because they want their cake & to eat it like pigs at a trough.