Public Service Allowance Scandal

Deiseblue said:
The Government via the Croke Park Agreement have charged PS management & the Unions with delivering verifiable targetted savings which have delivered impressive savings .
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Do you have a figure for this (less the cost of retiring these workers ie pension payments)?


Do you think there is scope to raise 12bn annually in taxes here?


Deiseblue said:
And yes the question of a higher tax rate for high earners also bears scrutiny .
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As above - 1BN a year in savings from a union-funded research think-tank. A million miles short of what's needed to balance the deficit.

IMO, unless pay & pensions, number of workers and dole payments are reduced, we will arrive pretty quickly at a point where the scope for increasing taxes further will be reached. We are extremely lucky that the ECB/IMF are bank-rolling us at the moment but at some point they are surely going to say something along the lines of "OK, you needed 14bn last year to balance the books, this year we are giving you 8bn..go figure". That's when the really tough decisions will be made.
 
Deiseblue said:
And yes the question of a higher tax rate for high earners also bears scrutiny .
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What's a high earner ? What constitutes wealth ?

Is someone earning 100K, or more, a high earner ? Or is that a handy figure seized on by attention seekers like Richard Boyd Barrett & Luke Flanagan ?

Is someone earning 200K with a mortgage on the family home of 500K wealthier than someone on 80K with no mortgage ?

I haven't seen or heard any evidence of analysis or understanding over what should constitute 'high earner' or 'wealth'.
 
I have found the implementation body's report of June 2012 to be the most informative source in terms of quantifiable savings made by the CPA , www.impact.ie also is a good source.

I believe that the Government has taken the view that the CPA is delivering & that given the fact that Industrial " Armegeddon " may follow any breach of the CPA then their alternatives lie in targeting areas that should be means tested such as areas outlined in my previous post -a fair approach I would have thought & further tax increases perhaps should be considered - is it my imagination or was there an independent review on the question of our current tax system ?

Interestingly when I refer to the term " Armegeddon " that is a phrase that has been trotted out by the Government & effectively suggests to me that the CPA will continue to be honoured.
 
TarfHead said:
What's a high earner ? What constitutes wealth ?...
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According to the union-sponsored 'think-tank' NERI, those who should be targetted for increased taxation are the top 20% by household income - which is those earning over about 55K per household (so yes, a dual income couple with mortgage and childcare costs earning 27,500 each are 'wealthy').

See more discussion of this magnificent piece of work here :Dr Tom Healy of the Nevin Institute being interviewed on Morning Ireland
 


The NERI report and what the good Doctor has said afterwards seem at odds with each other. There have been many "I should have been clearer about that" comments.
The term “Trade Union Economist” is an oxymoron.
 
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