UK moves to reduce VAT rates

RDM_83

IMO in the Republic we don't have it either way, when stealth taxes etc are totalled the tax rate isn't that low and there isn't a welfare state in the sense that you benefit if your a worker _an example the agreement that medical cards will not cover more than 40% of the population
http://www.imo.ie/news/uploads/IMOPP_medicalcard.pdf _ and once your in an irish hospital the standard of care (I've only experienced AE but waited 8 hours in James and once treated got a bus to the North the next day and even though I would have been in less need of immediate care was seen in 2 hours and only one of those trips would cost me a 100 euro)
And in terms of education the village my mother is from has a worse (soon to be much worse if the proposed chages come in) pupil teacher ratio than when she was a child.

Irelands a better place to be than most if your an old person, unemployed, or wealthy enough to afford private health insurance and private education for your chiildren.For everyone else its the worst of both worlds

genericgoon

This idea that a VAT cut would help the retail sector is misguided. People were going to flock northwards anyways and I think a VAT cut would have neglible effect on that fact. Quite simply, there is no way the Government could relieve the retail sector in the Republic from that barring perhaps reducing VAT significantly and not by a few percent, perhaps single figure VAT. But even then I there would be a chance it wouldn't have a huge effect. Add to this the fact the Government simply can't afford to be letting this tax revenue go at the moment. I wasn't in favour of the VAT rise becuase of the symbolic value it had for Irish consumers but I certainly don't think a significant VAT cut is a feasible option either.

Permabear

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genericgoon

donegalfella wrote: »

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Thanks for that. Learn a new thing every day and all that. Well that basically means our retail sector is FUBARed regardless of what the Government does this year and VAT changes aren't going to change that.

xOxSinéadxOx

that's a bit ghey, what would they do to us if we made it lower than that?

Permabear

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hellboy99

These two quotes from the RTE News website today:

A statement from the IFA quotes Mr Power saying that the trend of people going to Northern Ireland to do their shopping is the ultimate act of patriotic sabotage.

What :eek:, so we are not allowed to go and save ourselves some money with our shopping and look for bargins now, go and cop yourself on I say and lower prices here instead of putting them up, idiots :rolleyes:

'People will have to see that there is much better value in the Republic of Ireland' Mr Cowen said.

Where ???

Mr.Micro

'People will have to see that there is much better value in the Republic of Ireland' Mr Cowen said.

Just goes to show that Biffo is out of his depth. Ireland is one of the most expensive countries in Europe, has been for a long time. I am delighted that people will buy cheaper in NI and the retailers here better get wise to compete on price or close up, instead of whinging on about people looking for better value outside Ireland. Biffo should just stick his head in the sand, he was unable to defend the rise in VAT here.