Budget 2023

That's not true though when it comes to energy, they will outspend younger people on heating there homes this winter. Any elderly people I know have the heating going all the time in the winter and the fire going throughout the day. They will be hit fairly hard this winter.

It's more than that, it's €12 per person. Meaning the pubs/shops you reference will employ more people (or have more hours to dish out) resulting in more shop/pub workers having more money in their paypacket, and the process continues right up to the bank that might employ one more person which then increases income tax and USC generation

Some economists believe that every €1 you give to the worse off in our society contributes €2 to the economy, most believe it's closer to €1.50 though everybody agrees it's more than what you put in

As long as it was targeted at the unit price or standing charge price and not the bill as a whole. Yes

Thank you very much for paying my dole.

Wldr where I live all I can see is people who are well able to get up and go to work, being given free houses, complete with solar panels, heat pumps etc. One of them has a new Passat, a camper van and a horse box parked outside. And not a job between the two people living there. You'll have to forgive those of us who actually get up in the morning to contribute to society, feeling a little bit pissed off at budget time.

No this is not the case. Phil Hogan resigned as a minister in the 90s due to a small leak in the budget.

Leaking only started relatively recently (in the last 15 years) and has got worse with this government.

Yep totally agree. This government is constantly leaking and flying kites trying to gauge reaction in advance. It's not professional.

Our kids and grand kids will be paying for this. Leo and his "we will help those who get up in the morning" mantra has capitulated. Voted FG time and again wont be doing so next time. They rewarded those on the dole and lets not forget the Public sector pay rises which took over 1/3rd of the cash that was on the table. This all has to be paid for, this Xmas is going to see an absolute clusterphuck for SMEs they are getting some cash but no where near enough to get through and we cant afford another freebie for them like we spent during covid. This time next year our finances will be a deficit again as Dole (which is now competing with low paying jobs) , Low paying jobs with things like grants, extra welfare payments and HAP ,etc) is now competing with mid income earners and those earning at the top will find ways to and means to run or hide their cash. If a few of the large MNCs buckle (and it could well happen) Ireland is goosed our idiotic overloads in power didnt learn after the 08 crash of the stupid decision to base spending on a tax that could well disappear in 08 it was stamp duty in 2022 its corpo tax. I can see a perfect storm in the next 24 months of emigration reversing as our younger population decide I might actually get a house in Canada/OZ or the US as prices are coming down. Our SMEs hitting the wall at the same pace seen in 08 and our unemployment going through the roof, our income tax take going down due to workers heading to the dole queue, Throw in the amount it will cost to borrow for new borrowings I cant see that being a realistic option with the Interest rates which we may see over 5% by this time next year. Then of course we will have the Shinners getting in power and our MNCs running for cover with the schtick that Mary Lou is spinning about taxing wealth sure she would be seen as a charlatan if she didn't go after corpo tax as these are very wealthy behemoths and if she goes after the worker again I can's see them lasting long. We had a commission coming out and doing a review of taxation and what other taxes should be implemented , why the phuck is there not the same for our spend. We spent over 93Billion last year, where the hell is this money going? HSE anyone, children's hospital anyone?

Hear these anecdotes all the time and usually not true and exagerrated. Can you give me the address of these free houses so I can view the solar panels and heat pumps on google maps?

Thats all well and good but the money has to be found and its usually the worker who is bent over and has his pockets robbed to give this dole money its allowing others stand on the neck of workers in order to get this cash so they will be fine. Why would you bother working if your on a low paying job, its nearly the case now of if you cant beat them join them, remember before the budget we paid out 30Billion in social welfare for a small country like this that is an insane figure to try and repeat on an annual basis.

a lot of that wealth would be in the value of property, so unless they burn their house for heating, its kinna meaningless!

You'll have to take my word for it. Why would I make up something like that? All people like me are asking for is fairness, maybe a cut in excise on fuel so it's easier to heat our homes and put fuel in our cars to get to work. But I suppose the green agenda won't allow for that. So yet again it's the worker gets screwed over. If you can't see that, then I can't help you

The majority on here would confirm what your saying, they will know someone gaining off the system.

a ubi makes sense in many ways, but we probably wont ever do it, we generally just do some small scale trials such as the current artist only trials, and thats about it, the resistance towards such a radical idea is currently too great

There will be nothing for the working class families as per usual.