Budget 2023

Jaysus lads we are tiny island, some of it isn't even ours.

The idea that we have to centralise everything like we are a province in China is the root cause to a lot of the problems we are facing now.

It's an absolute bonkers idea, the pandemic has proved it once and for all.

Denmark has effective regional governance, we certainly do not.

I wasn't actually thinking about villages, more towns and regions.

The villages were long killed off, the recession and urban sprawl finished them.

The GP visit card is one good benefit for those on low/middle income. That's if you can get an appointment.

Income tax changes = 1st Jan

How can you possibly say Ireland is not a high tax country when the 40% tax bracket starts at below 40k, and only got upped to that in the budget? Similarly, 52% of every euro you earn over around 70k or so last I checked goes to the government. 41% tax on ETFs, 33% CGT. At every step of the process the Irish government has their hand out for taxes and in substantially greater fashion that most other nations with few exceptions. Over time as well any / all tax-lean ways to use money are being targeted (looking at pensions). You would do very well to remember that taxes are a means for the government to generate revenue, yes, but they are also a disincentive. Taxing labour & investments to the degree that we do is short sighted. A friend of mine recently pushed his income into that threshold and what do you know, he was working extra hours to do so (second job as a lecturer) and he just gave up the ghost when he realised over half of it was going to the government. So now that's a position that is going unfilled and revenue that is not being generated. We also have no long term incentives that encourage people to hang on to their slice of a given business (long term cap gains), we're in fact the only place on earth that I know of that will actively come after you after 8 years to press the reset button on your compound interest.

The only way in which we can be described as low tax is that those on lower incomes almost do not get taxed at all, except they do when they roll up to the shop to buy something, or to invest their money, or to do basically anything.

You can't really. Mostly because of the GP visit card. Being massively abused by parents of kids, getting every sniffle and bruise checked out.

...is this actually true, or is it just some of that internet bullsh1t!

Ireland is not a high tax country, that is beyond debate.

However, you are 100% correct that in the income tax system, the top rate starts at a crazy low entry point, 36,800.

Understandably, this leads people to think that overall Ireland is high tax.

Loads of earners pay none or very little income tax.

My parents earn 50k approx, and pay approx. 8%-9%, that is savagely low income tax for the benefits they get.

Our PRSI at 4% is very low.

UK = 11% or is it 12%?

Germany = 20%

Property taxes are low, the LPT is 0.10%, that is very low.

Many goods are exempt from VAT.

There is a shortage of GP’s. Been flagged for quite awhile and will worsen as more GP’s retire. Retention of medical staff is a problem that is getting worse across all areas.

I jokingly suggested a GP family member lately that at least 70% of GP visits must be a complete waste of time and resources.

He laughed and said ‘more like 90%’.

Fully free services are a bad idea as they get abused. Some level of charges should be kept to try and stop the system becoming clogged with time wasters.