# My pre-Budget submission on behalf of the Irish Taxpayer



## Brendan Burgess (10 Sep 2017)

I have an article in today's Sunday Independent which is a summary of my pre-Budget submission on behalf of the Irish taxpayer. 

*Dear Minister, this is what the taxpayer wants and deserves*




I hope to post my full pre-Budget submission here later. Here is the current summary.

Dear Minister

All the pre-Budget submissions you receive will be calling for increased expenditure. But there is no one representing the unfortunate tax payer who will foot the bill for this expenditure.  There is no one arguing the very obvious point that we are spending well beyond our means. So I have taken it upon myself to make a submission on behalf of the Irish taxpayer.

*Key points  *

With a national debt of €200 billion, there is a clear and present danger to the economy - so tax cuts in 2018 or 2019 would be irresponsible
You are making the same mistakes which Fianna Fáil were vilified for making during the Celtic Tiger budgets. Increasing permanent spending based on temporarily high tax receipts.
Social welfare payments are far higher than in Northern Ireland the rest of the EU. These must be cut significantly.
A person who has worked and paid tax all their life should have a higher Old Age Pension than someone who has drawn the dole all their life.
Low and middle paid workers must be given priority for social and affordable housing. Those who are not working should be relocated to wherever in the country social housing is available or can be built quickly and cheaply.
First time buyers should be allowed to borrow money from their pension fund to fund the deposit and purchase of their home.
The public service defined benefit scheme should be replaced by a generous defined contribution scheme – the state should match the employee’s contribution up to a maximum of 10%.
People should be encouraged to pay for their own private healthcare through a restoration of full tax relief on health insurance premiums.
Reliefs and exemptions for Capital Gains Tax and Capital Acquisition Tax should be severely curtailed. In particular, the exemption from Capital Gains Tax on death should be abolished.


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## TheBigShort (10 Sep 2017)

Brendan Burgess said:


> With a national debt of €200 billion, there is a clear and present danger to the economy - so tax cuts in 2018 or 2019 would be irresponsible



Agreed.



Brendan Burgess said:


> Social welfare payments are far higher than in Northern Ireland the rest of the EU. These must be cut significantly.



Disagree. 



Brendan Burgess said:


> A person who has worked and paid tax all their life should have a higher Old Age Pension than someone who has drawn the dole all their life.



This sounds like either a massive increase in spending, or a tiny saving (if at all).



Brendan Burgess said:


> Those who are not working should be relocated to wherever in the country social housing is available or can be built quickly and cheaply.



This is when things get scary around here. The notion that we should live in a society that will uproot individuals and families purely on their current working status.
Simply unworkable, but reprehensible more so.



Brendan Burgess said:


> People should be encouraged to pay for their own private healthcare through a restoration of full tax relief on health insurance premiums.



More increased spending? Why should the taxpayer subsidise the private health care market?


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## Brendan Burgess (10 Sep 2017)

I have now finalised my formal submission which is attached to this post.

Brendan


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## odyssey06 (10 Sep 2017)

While I don't agree with Brendan on every topic, on this submission it's a thumbs-up ... of all the things I have read about spending priorities for the next budget, this is the one that most resonates with me as a taxpayer.

It's a nice counter point to the usual magical money tree of spend spend spend, pork barrel, begging bowl approach we get at this time of year...
Too many people seem to forget that every euro spent in taxes has to be earned.
Or that every euro borrowed has be paid back with interest...


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## Brendan Burgess (11 Sep 2017)

The full article is online now

*Dear Minister, this is what the taxpayer wants and deserves*


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