YOUR BUDGET DAY WISH LISTS
There is much anticipation ahead of Budget 2025, which is due to be announced next Tuesday, October 1. The Celt’s Gemma Good took to the streets of Cavan Town on Monday afternoon to ask people the areas they’d like to see the government prioritise when it comes to expenditure...
The Minister for Social Protection, Heather Humphreys, was remaining tight lipped this week about what constituents could expect from her Department in Budget 2025.
But she did assure this reporter: “This is my fifth Budget as Minister for Social Protection. My focus is on putting money back into peoples’ pockets – supporting our pensioners, carers, people with disabilities and working families.”
That will be good news to some of the people the Celt encountered on the streets on Cavan Town this week.
Raymond Lyons from Ballinagh believes that “the working person” should be prioritised in Budget 2025.
He spoke to The Anglo-Celt outside Dunnes Stores, where he works, while he was on his lunch break.
“The person that’s out working everyday, they seem not to be getting the rewards especially with all the tax money.
“They’ve [the government] that much tax money that they don’t know what to do with it, they seem to be finding ideas to spend it on that’s not beneficial to the people really.”
The USC tax is paid on all income, which is over €13,000 per year. Last year, the charge was cut from 4.5% to 4%. This year it is speculated to be cut again.
“It should be gotten rid of all together,” said Raymond.
“That tax was brought in when things were tough to help out. Things have improved now nearly back to normal so it should be gotten rid of to be honest.
“There’s enough tax in the country, there’s enough tax being brought in with everything else,” he said, mentioning for example multinational companies based in Ireland who pay corporation tax to the government.
Mary Clarke who is from Swellan would like to see housing prioritised next Tuesday (October 1) when the budget is announced. She would like to see more houses built and said the government should be “taking down the prices of rent for young people”.
The mother of six revealed how one of her children has gone to live in Australia, while the other five are living around Cavan and struggling with rent. She agreed that perhaps a rental relief scheme of sorts for younger people could help to alleviate the problem.
“There’s that many things I don’t know where to start,” she said, adding that “a general election” to “get these ones out” could alleviate the situation.
Regarding renters, it is expected that rental tax credits are to increase from €750 to €1,000 for first time buyers; the Help to Buy scheme, which gives up to €30,000 tax back towards a deposit for a new-build home, is set to end next year, however it is hoped that this will be extended.
Self-employed accountant Hugh Lennon from Cavan suggested that the income tax rate be reduced.
“Increase the tax bands so that people on the lower income pay less,” he suggested.
“It’ll have a spin off for them [people on a higher income] as well.
“The cost of living is a problem so it would give people more money in their pocket, they’ll spend it and it’ll boost the economy.”
Amidst talks on abolishing the USC surcharge on self-employment income, Hugh said that would be a “great idea”.
“It’s a stealth tax, brought in temporarily but income tax was brought in temporarily and it never went away.”
Joanne McDermott said she “would like to see money going to support children and families. “I want them to stop bringing in so many foreigners and paying all the foreigners, I want the money prioritised for the elderly, the Irish elderly and Irish children.
Joanne has a child with special needs and said that she had to pay for private therapies or wait five years plus on a public waiting list.
“That was for occupational therapy, speech and language. In fact I got a letter to say that I’d be waiting for years and six months approximately,” she revealed.
“We had to pay privately and put him through everything so he got all the services he needs and he’s flying but I see other children who are in the same class as him or who would have been in the same class as him and didn’t have maybe the money to pay for that and are in a worse off position now.”
She’s frustrated the family got “no government help”.
“Unless you have money in this country, you’ll get nothing,” she said, adding that she has “no faith” in the government.
“I don’t get anything, the working people in this country get nothing, no, it’s [the budget] not going to affect me.
“I want them to stop flooding the country with foreigners and paying for them and that’s what I want.”
Student Tara O’Rourke would “definitely” like to see “help towards student accommodation”.
“I feel like it’s very hard for students to find places to stay, which then impacts their education because they can’t attend college.”
Tara is currently staying in Digs in Dundalk where she pays €110 per week, which she says is “not too bad” in terms of price.
“I struggled to find it last year,” she said, adding that “luckily” she got the same accommodation this year.
“I got very lucky,” she reflected.
“Originally I was looking to go to Galway but I couldn’t find accommodation so I had to change my plan then to suit myself,” she said, adding that the shortage of accommodation coupled with the cost of available accommodation prompted her decision.
“Everywhere I applied for would say that they were full and that they didn’t have room for me and then, if they did, the prices were ridiculous and I couldn’t afford it.”
Patrick O’Connell was walking along the mainstreet of Cavan when The Anglo-Celt stopped to chat. Living in Lisdarn, he said he would like to see “some increase in social welfare” come out of next week’s budget announcement.
“There’s talk about €12 [increases to pension].
“I want that anyway,” he said, adding that €12-15 would be enough. Patrick said he currently receives €230 per week, which he said is “not enough with the cost of living”.
Speaking of which, Patrick was also shocked to hear that the price of cigarettes could increase to over €17 for a twenty-pack.
“That’s very dear,” he said.
“You can’t afford to buy more than twenty a day,” he said, adding that “if you got two packets a day” that amounts to nearly €35.
“That’s stupid, that’s a scandal,” he fumed.
Cavan Institute student Brandon Seavers would love to see the government prioritise “housing and transport” in the next budget.
He requested that the cost of living become “more accessible” for his generation.
“There’s just not enough available for our generation to get started on their actual lives.”
The Crosskeys native said “availability on buses” can make it “difficult to get around” using public transport.
“For students specifically just affordability with accommodation, like I said travel or just anything to make the process of knowing that you’re able to have a home or have enough to get to where you need to be.”
Brandon said he did want to go to DCU to study, however said he could not afford accommodation in Dublin.
“I don’t have the funding for an apartment down there or any accommodation,” he said, adding that he decided to go to Cavan Institute to study software development. He said the decision “isn’t a bad thing” but finds it “bothersome” that his decision was made based on expenses.
“I would like that option available to me and to other people who want to do the same thing. I don’t want to have to go through a back door and slowly reach where I want to be and then get there far too late in my life.”