Through shared prosperity people will begin to feel the recovery in their everyday lives

Opinion, Budget 2015

by Deputy Willie Penrose

Budget 2015 is about ensuring that the economic recovery is now felt by everyone. It is about families, older people and low and middle income earners, in Westmeath and around the country, who have made sacrifices and borne the brunt of the recession, seeing the light of recovery at the end of what has been a long and dark tunnel.

We have rebuilt the country and restored hope. The economy is growing, unemployment is falling, and confidence is slowly returning.

But, as Tánaiste Joan Burton has made clear, our priority now is to repair society: to make social recovery our goal for the rest of the lifetime of this government. We know that our work must be focused on getting all Irish families, older people and low and middle income earners to feel the benefits of economic growth in their own pockets. Westmeath and the midlands need to benefit from the recovery as much as Dublin and the east coast.

I and my colleagues in the Labour Party know that many families have been under enormous pressure in recent years. All households and low and middle income earners will be better off as a result of this budget.

The €5 increase in Child Benefit and partial restoration of the Christmas bonus to pensioners and long-term unemployed will put more money in people’s pockets and be a good boost to retailers,

Changes to the Universal Social Charge will mean that an additional 80,000 people will no longer have to pay it. This will bring to almost half a million people who do not have to pay USC as a result of decisions made by this government. Reductions in the personal income tax rates will mean the tax burden will be reduced and take home pay will be greater.

This budget also invests in public services. There will be 1,000 more teachers in our schools and more supports for students with special needs. There will be 200 more gardaí recruited to the force and new vehicles added to what had become an ageing fleet.

But, there will be no return to the boom and bust policies of the Celtic Tiger. Instead, we will use the economic dividend from the recovery to invest in sustainable growth, in our communities and our public services.

The focus must be maintained on job creation, especially here in Westmeath. Overall, unemployment in the county has dropped by 6.7% in the last year. But, we must and will do more to get people back to work.

Budget 2015 prioritises building new homes for families. We expect thousands of new homes to be built over the next 18 months as a result of the investment we are making in social housing. There will be knock-on positive impacts such as a much-needed boost for construction workers and getting money flowing to retailers in our towns, and next year will see almost five times more houses built by local authorities than what was done this year, albeit from a low base.

This is also a fair budget. It marks a turning point in all our fortunes. Families, older people and low and middle income workers will benefit. Businesses will remain competitive.

Through shared prosperity, I am convinced that people will begin to feel the recovery in their everyday lives and in their standard of living. It is something every Irish citizen deserves, after a tough and demanding six years.