Tax Those Who Caused the Economic Crisis
Trade Unions Should Resist Attacks on the Public Sector
Today the People Before Profit Alliance called for a Wealth Levy to be placed on those who benefited most from the Celtic Tiger. Spokesperson Richard Boyd Barrett said:
“Current government strategy is based on making workers pay for the crisis. A narrow focus on driving down the living standards of public sector workers is mistaken. These workers did not cause the crisis in the public finances. Rather it was government policy and the activities of property developers and speculators”.
In recent years the wealth of Ireland’s elite grew enormously. In 2006 there were 33,000 millionaires.
The People Before Profit Alliance is demanding that the focus be shifted from public servants who are providing valuable services to the community to those who have gained most. People Before Profit is calling for the introduction of a wealth levy on all assets including property other than family homes.
This should be introduced as part of a package aimed at widening the tax base and forcing the wealthy to pay their fair share. This would include:
- Emergency legislation to close the tax exile rule which allows the wealthy to abscond from paying taxes.
- Removing all property based tax incentives
- A surcharge rate of tax for high earners.
- Eliminating all tax subsidies on private pension funds for high earners
- Increasing capital gains tax to 40 percent.
- Removing inheritance tax allowances on all large business and large farms.
- Moving Ireland away from the status of the Atlantic tax haven. Increase Corporation Tax and remove all tax loopholes.
In relation to the public sector Mr Boyd Barrett said there had been too much emphasis on attacking public sector: “The OECD has acknowledged that our public sector compares favourably with the rest of the OECD. Problems in the public sector have arisen due to the imposition of a managerialist ethos from the business world and a new bureaucratisation that replaces commitment with paper work. The morale of staff has been reduced through constant attacks on public sector efficiency and through a deliberate holding back of the creative energies of public sector staff. These problems can be addressed by reducing the dense layers of management in institutions like the HSE and redeploying this staff to more useful work”.
People Before Profit is calling on Trade Union leaders to defend the public sector and to ensure that the rich pay for the mess they created.
ENDS
For more information contact Eddie Conlon 087 6775468 or Richard Boyd Barrett 0876329511