TUESDAY: Sinn Féin Dáil motion on abolishing unfair Universal Social Charge

Mary Lou McDonald TD with Dublin City Councillor Cabra Séamas McGrattan at the Dáil

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THE Dáil will hear a motion on Tuesday by Sinn Féin to abolish the Universal Social Charge, which Mary Lou McDonald has described as a “flawed and unfair” Fianna Fáil policy enforced by Fine Gael and Labour.

The motion will be heard during Private Members’ Time.

Sinn Féin is calling on the Government to abolish the Universal Social Charge and to ensure that all taxes and social insurance contributions are raised progressively so that those who have the most pay the most.

Deputy Mary Lou McDonald said:

The Universal Social Charge breaches the fundamental principle of progressive taxation – that those who have more should pay more. It is a flat tax which everyone with an income above €16,016 pays at the same rate of 7%

Rather than target wealth and ensure that those who could afford to pay more did, Fianna Fáil and the Greens went after those earning as little as €77 a week.

Fine Gael and the Labour Party continue to implement this flawed and unfair policy.

This tax does not matter a damn to the bankers, those earning over €100,000 a year or individuals who benefit from huge tax breaks.

The people taking the hit with the Universal Social Charge are the teenagers doing the paper round, the college students in casual jobs and the mothers in part-time work. How can this be described as fair?

I am asking all those who claim to oppose this unjust flat tax and who campaigned on a platform of ‘change’ in the recent election to put their money where their mouth is – support the Sinn Féin motion on Tuesday and abolish the Universal Social Charge.