Varadkar: "It's not the state's responsibility (to provide a home and an education)"

When he says "the state", he clearly means him. This is the same gadge who likes to yabber on about how much Kylie Minogue made such a difference to his existence.

He's right, he should be responsible for nothing. Because he's literally a child.

Housing crisis explained right there

I just really wish that the people of Dublin West would ninja this individual into the political history books.

so not the state’s responsibility that people have access to healthcare, housing or an education….? Maybe Leo might put his mind to describing what responsibilities that state does have towards its people and citizens…

Because we pay an awful lot of tax that goes on education, healthcare, housing etc… so might be nice that Irish people can feel they can benefit from that..

id say Leo isn’t long for the world of politics, his mask is slipping. Some of us saw behind it from earlier on, others a lot more gullible.

On a salary of €100k, tax due is €36,378, so 36.4%. Obviously there are different bands at various thresholds in that salary, but you're correct for 99% of the population.

If you earned a million, you would be slightly over 50% at €504,603.

It seems to me that whenever someone becomes taoiseach, their electorate so love having their local TD be taoiseach that they will constantly reflect them, no matter how terrible they are. There seems to be a similar, though not as pervasive, effect for ministers.

His family and many in government won't need it, but in the meantime they'll gladly sell out us and this country to set up themselves and their families. At the moment, his government and its policies are holding many people back in life and denying them the chance to have a house of their own or to start families.

People surely know that his words have been twisted out of all context here.

Like, he’s very clearly saying that families should care for family members in the first instance, and the state steps in when needed.

If he said the opposite, that it’s the state’s job to look after people, the same cnuts would be saying that he’s trying to break up families and big government wants to run our lives.

the level of sheer hatred and stupidity on here is terrifying, and it’s even more terrifying how easily people can be fooled and whipped up into a frenzy by a thirty second clip that’s so obviously been taken out of all context

Why should facts get in the way of outrage? Also, it's pretty clear that a lot of the whingebags on here don't actually earn enough to pay the high taxation they so bitterly complain about.

You’ve twisted it out of all context.

The guy should be allowed speak his mind without hardline Catholic fundamentalists or far right lunatics tearing him apart or burning down hotels in “protest”

Distracted while typing, meant 55k not 55%, edited now to correct, thanks.

Gerard Brady of IBEC produced this graph, to show how the SRCOP has not kept up with wages.

I never said we shouldn't be paying tax on it, just said it was a tax, which it is.

Guys, guys — enough with the bickering about tax. Whether the state does or does not have responsibilities in the areas of housing and education doesn't depend at all on what tax rates are.

For the record, Ireland collects about 37.5% of modified Gross National Income in tax. That's pretty close to the EU average. However compared to other EU countries we collect a relatively greater share in income tax, and a relatively lesser share in social insurance contributions (or equivalent). We also have lower property taxes than the EU average.

As to the State's responsibilities, we'd do far better to look at the Constitution than to bicker over claims about tax rates. The State does have a responsiblity with regard to education; the Constitution is quite explicit about this. It beggars belief that Varadkar wouldn't know this.

It has less to say about housing, providing in Art 40.5 simply that a citizen's dwelling is inviolable and cannot be forcibly entered save in accordance with law. Art 41 recognises that a family needs to have a home, but says nothing about who is to provide it. The State's duty to safeguard the family presumably provides a constitutional basis for state policy promoting the provision of housing, but there isn't a lot of detail there.

But, whether it's constitutionally required or not, the State always has had a role in the provision of housing. We inherited this role from the UK in 1922, and greatly expanded it in the decades that followed. The notion that the state has no responsibility in this are is, um, a novel one.

(And, if Varadkar really thinks that the State has no responsibility for the provision of education, which is demonstrable rubbish, his views on whether the State has a role in the provision of housing won't command much persuasive authority.)

I think what often gets missed on the debate on tax rates in Ireland is what we end up having to pay for private health costs here.

Private health insurance is an optional extra in other European countries.

In Ireland it's basically essential if you can afford it, and takes a very sizable chunk of peoples salaries.

After that there's many more smaller examples of sneaky stealth taxes ('voluntary' school contributions as a perfect example), all of which add up.

The state having to provide access to housing is very different from having to provide housing.

If the state had any fixed obligations to house people it would be chaos - it's good that we do have social housing etc, but if there was some mandate on govt to house everyone we would collapse

Every child should have a home and and access to an education as a basic start to life in this very rich country

when my parents had kids in late 70's / 80's they got no help from the government , now its just a welfare state

handouts for everything etc makes me sick tbh

get rewarded for spreading the legs and having kids ( by all means help ) but not a house , no incentive to work , vicious cycle as the kids see mammy getting everything etc

if you knew you'd not get a home by having a kid , you'd think twice about having one ( yes i know alot still waiting on housing etc )

you are have to make your own way , don't expect others to food your bill