Budget 2008 (2 Viewers)

[Diddles]

How do you think you're going to get shafted today?

I reckon I'll lose the mickey money and the child grant.
They're only doing this budget because I have a child now.

 

[Froog]

a good all round shafting i think.

 

[Froog]

good old irish times; brian lenihan's "long hard day":

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/1014/breaking5.htm

jesus, i hope he gets paid overtime. what if he's fatigued tommorow like?

 

[krystal]

don't worry, he'll just write another months holidays into the constitution for TDs

 

[Gambra]

What time is this on at? Is it on now?

 

[the strange guy]

I hear weed is going up and you have to buy your cans in the morning now.

 

[Froog]

they're taxing shits aswell. tax breaks if you bust less than a log a day. half three i think gambra, streamed live on www.irishtimes.ie.

 

[Froog]

...

 

[Diddles]

should have written budget 2009. Will they tax stupidity??

 

[Reets]

should have written budget 2009. Will they tax stupidity??

doubt it, the logistics of taxing people that'd pee on an electric fence is mind boggling.

 

[Froog]

for anyone that's interested, here's an estimated expenditure and receipt report for 2008:

http://www.finance.gov.ie/documents/publications/other/whitepaper08eng.pdf

 

[Unicron]

I think Michael O' Leary's head just exploded.

 

[Froog]

Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan has announced a levy on incomes of up to 2 per cent as part of one of the toughest Budgets in two decades.
Employees who earn up to €100,000 will pay a 1 per cent levy, while those who earn more than that will be subject to a 2 per cent payment. Mr Lenihan said the levy would be “kept under review” and said it would help Ireland to return to a healthy economic situation.
Ministers, junior ministers and some senior civil servants will take a 10 per cent pay cut, Mr Lenihan said. The State pension will rise by €7 a week, while the automatic entitlement to a medical card for the over 70s will be removed. Those who do not qualify will receive a cash payment of €400 a year.
Child benefit to be halved for 18-year-olds from January 1st.
He said a “targeted voluntary early retirement scheme” would be introduced in the health service, targeting “surplus middle management” and possibly “other surplus staff”.

A “focused review of public sector numbers” is under way and a report is due in November. The number of State bodies and agencies will reduced by 41 and a number of Army barracks will be closed. The school building programme will remain a key priority.

On decentralisation, Mr Lenihan said the timeframe had been revised. “Priority elements” will proceed as planned, he added and some 2,500 had already moved. However other parts of the programme are being deferred for budgetary reasons.
Mr Lenihan said State would help those seeking affordable housing by taking an equity share in houses.
Mr Lenihan took to his feet in the Dáil at 3.45pm, saying the Budget was set against the "most challenging fiscal and economic position in a generation". He said it would "restore order and stability in the public finances" but would "protect the most vulnerable".
He said the economic downturn had “taken even the most pessimistic of commentators by surprise”. He said GNP would decline by over 1.5 per cent this year, the first decline since the early 80s and by 1 per cent next year. Unemployment will continue rise, he added.
Mr Lenihan has been forced to bring forward the Budget from early December to today amid the serious deterioration in the public finances. He must frame his economic measures against a vista of shrinking Exchequer revenue, rising unemployment and an international banking crisis.
Budget 2009 is to target all sectors of society with a range of spending cuts alongside radical direct and indirect taxes.
© 2008 irishtimes.com

 

[Raudi Raus Schinkel]

8 euro for a pack of fags-up 50 cent

 

[SONYMEGADRIVE]

petrol and wine too....my two favourite drinks

 

[Wobbler]

• For cars over 2.5litres and in CO2 bands E,F and G motor tax to rise 5%
• Motor tax up 4% for cars below the 2.5 litre threshold and CO2 bands A to D
• Pension to rise by €7 per week
• Stamp duty on cheques to rise from 30 cents to 50 cents per cent
• Top rate of commercial property stamp duty cut from 9% to 6%
• Increase of 2% in capital gains tax rate
• Automatic entitlement to a medical card for over70s to be abolished
• Fuel allowance increased €2 a week to €20 per week
• Increase in standard rate tax band of €2,000 for a married couple
• Increase in standard rate tax band by €1,000 for a single person
• Duty on wine to increase by 50 cents a litre
• Ministers and some senior civil servants to take 10% pay cut
• Carer's benefit and carer's allowance to rise by €6.50 per week
• €889 million investment for capital education projects
• Standard rate of Vat to increase by 0.5% to 21.5% from December 1st
• €2 billion in tax has to be raised – Lenihan
• €5 million for warmer homes scheme
• €1.65 billion to be spent to housing programmes in 2009
• Government to take an equity share in affordable housing
• €265 million capital investment for third level education projects
• Inflation to ease to 2.5% on average in 2009
• Investment of more than €300 million in science and technology
• €179 million for Science Foundation Ireland
• Decentralisation programme deferred until 2011, pending a review
• Fuel allowance to rise by €29 a week from January 1st
• Lowest level of social welfare payment to rise to €204.30 per week
• State faces the most challenging economic and fiscal situation in a generation – Lenihan
• Targeted early retirement scheme for the HSE
• Child benefit for 18-year-olds to cease from 2010
• €400 annual grant for over 70s who do not qualify for automatic medical card
• Social welfare spending to increase by 8.4% to €19.6 billion
• Child benefit to be halved for 18-year-olds from January 1st
• GDP expected to decline by 1.5% in 2008
• Family income supplement thresholds to rise by €10 per week per child
• Government plans to reduce deficit to 6.5% of GDP in 2009
• Social welfare package of €515 million
• 3.6% increase in gross current spending in 2009
• Unemployment in 2009 to average at 7.3%
• Government to reduce the number of state agencies by 41
• Air travel tax of €10 per passenger, €2 for shorter journeys
• Duty on petrol to rise by 8 cents a litre
• Levy of €200 for car parking provided by employers in major urban areas
• Duty on cigarettes to increase by 50 cents for a packet of 20
• First-time buyers tax relief up from 20% to 25% in years 1 and 2
• 1% income levy on earnings up to €100,000, and 2% on earnings over that

 

[Raudi Raus Schinkel]

good budget overall, goin after lads who own two houses i liked

over 70s medical cards is a stinger tho

higher tax on high emiision cars again

more social welfare

higher tax for the well-paid

 

[maims bond]

over 70s medical cards is a stinger tho

how is it a stinger? it was a total vote-getter introduced by McCreevy, there was no urgent requirement to make it universal for over 70s, many over 70s can easily afford GP visits/prescriptions.

 

[Goodbye]

not bad at all.

The over 70's medical card thing is fucking stupid, but other than that its graaaaaaaand

 

[the strange guy]

The medical card for over 70s is means tested though, isn't it?
Seems fair enough.
What would Sir Tony O'Reilly be needing with one of those?