SJI director Fr Sean Healy called for an increase of total tax-take from just under 30 per cent of GDP to 34.9 per cent by broadening the tax base
Some 706,000 people, including 200,00 children, are living in poverty in Ireland which is an increase of 92,000 in two years, according to a new report published today.
The Shaping Ireland’s Future report by Social Justice Ireland (SJI) said the Government needs to acknowledge Ireland’s poverty problem and called for an overhaul of social welfare saying the current system is not “fit for purpose”.
It revealed the poorest 10 per cent of households have an average disposable income of €210 a week, compared to an average of €2,276 a week for the richest 10 per cent.
It recommended policy makers introduce a basic income system to replace social welfare and income tax credits.
“By making tax credits refundable, almost 113,300 low-income individuals would receive a refund and would see their disposable income increase as a result of the proposal.
“In practice a basic income recognises the right of every person to a share of the resources of society,” the report added.
The report noted the Government’s insistence on keeping Ireland’s total tax-take among the lowest in the EU has placed the exchequer in a “very precarious position and put massive pressure on public services and infrastructure”.
SJI director Fr Sean Healy said the total tax-take needed to rise from just under 30 per cent of GDP to 34.9 per cent by broadening the tax base. He said the country could make this change and still remain a low-tax economy.
He said the tax breaks should be eliminated to improve fairness in the system as the “major beneficiaries of most tax breaks are those on the highest incomes”.
With some 120,000 people who live in poverty at work the report said being employed is not a guarantee of living in a poverty-free household.
“The Government needs to adopt a strategy of making large scale job-creation interventions into the labour market,” Fr Healy said to help combat the problem of 30 per cent youth and 14 per cent total unemployment.
Finally it said emigration of Irish nationals had tripled since 2008 with 40,200 people, particularly young Irish, leaving the country in the past 12 months.
“The austerity programme is contributing to Ireland’s loss of young people, the implications of which are stark as this loss will pose significant problems for economic recovery.”
“The emigration ‘brain drain’ which in some quarters is being heralded perversely as a ‘safety valve’ is in fact a serious problem for Ireland and may well lead to a skills deficit in the long-term,” Fr Healy added.
40% increase in homes burgled while workers are commuting
Do you commute to work every day? If so, you might want to take some time to read this, as your house could be a major target for a new wave of clever burglars.
The Irish Times reports that an analysis of the latest crime figures have revealed that burglaries increased by a massive 40 per cent in some parts of Ireland last year. Okay, so why is that important for you? Well apparently the largest increases were seen in areas where the majority of people commute to work.
Yes, commuter towns have been targeted by burglars who are seizing the opportunity to break into homes when they know that the owner will be away.
So where are all the burglaries happening? According to the data, the Dublin metropolitan southern division recorded the most break-ins last year. Apparently 2,374 homes were targeted by thieves.
The reason behind Dublin’s high level of break-ins was due to the amount of homes left unattended why the owners are commuting and working, and the fact that Dublin has some of Ireland’s worst poverty black spots and rates of drug addiction. Surprisingly, the North Side of Dublin recorded some of the lowest rates of burglaries in the capital.
Other areas that have been hit hard by break-ins include Kildare, Wicklow, Meath and Limerick.
Sources from the gardaí have said that they are not surprised that after the Dublin, the next worst-affect areas were regions that were located beside the city.
“The way development has gone down the years, big parts of places like Meath, Wicklow and Kildare are now what you would call suburbs of Dublin, so what you see happening in Dublin in terms of crime, you would expect to see in those places too,” said one source.
“A lot of the burglaries in these places are carried out by locals, but there’s no doubt that criminals from Dublin are travelling out a bit and hitting houses in counties closest to Dublin,” said another source.
According to gardaí, burglaries have increased as criminals are trying to find items that they can sell easily in order to make quick money. This means that they are more likely to steal jewellery, televisions and laptop computers.
Commuter homes are an easy target as the owner (or owners) are usually away from early in the morning to late at night, and all of these items are available in a family home.
So if you spend a lot of time in your car or on the bus, it’s probably a good idea to invest in a pretty good house alarm…
Bishops welcome the report on changes to primary-school teaching of religion in Ireland
The Catholic Bishops’ Council for Education has welcomed the publication of a new report on how religion should be taught in primary schools.
The Forum on Patronage and Pluralism has recommended that 47 primary schools should be divested from the Catholic Church and that all other schools should become more diverse in their teachings.
It also advises that “faith formation” be taught outside of normal school hours and recommends that religious artefacts from numerous faiths should be displayed in schools.
The Catholic Bishops’ Council for Education has said it would reflect on the report’s recommendations.
In a statement, the council said: “The report clearly affirms the importance of denominational schools and the continuance of faith formation, including sacramental preparation, in Catholic schools.
“It also provides a roadmap for consultation with parents and local communities concerning greater diversity of school provision in certain areas.
“Today’s comprehensive report requires detailed analysis and we look forward to working with all the education partners in developing a partnership approach to the future development of our primary schools.”
Minister Quinn has welcomed the report and said he will have an official response next month.
“We live in a changed and changing nation,” the Minister said. “There is a general acceptance that a greater diversity of primary schooling is necessary and I welcome the readiness among partners to embrace this.
“The key issue is how best to promote and develop this diversity.”
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